Rural Studies

Overview

Rural Studies programme is offered at Newcastle University.

Research

Areas of research of the Rural Studies from Newcastle University include:

• impact and implications of ‘local-global’ processes and relationships for rural areas
• characteristics and performance of rural businesses and households
• rural governance
• demographic ageing and social change
• living with environmental change

Opportunities are available for postgraduate research in the following areas:

Land use, natural resources and environmental change

• multifunctional land use and the evolving role of small farms
• land use and food security
• the management and governance of natural resources
• agri-environment policy
• environmental valuation and choice modelling
• access to land for outdoor recreation and leisure
• protected areas management

Rural planning, community governance and resilience

• relationship between rural development policy and communities in a changing political landscape
• rural policies and the role of communities in policy development
• neo-endogenous or networked rural development
• rural housing and trends in counter-urbanisation
• community asset management
• rural partnerships and stakeholder relationships
• community resilience

Rural change, culture and wellbeing 

• perceptions of rurality
• rural social change
• the role of rural women
• the needs of a changing rural community
• wellbeing and quality of life
• rural social capital
• social exclusion and rural poverty
• changing perceptions of farming

Rural economy, enterprise and innovation

• rural enterprise and its economic contribution
• innovation and entrepreneurialism
• networks and knowledge exchange
• the nature and needs of rural enterprise
• technological adoption and innovation in agriculture
• linkages between urban and rural economies
• business collaboration and networking
• expertise and knowledge exchange
• social and community enterprise
• the green economy