NA - Resource dependent communities in "old economy" regions.

The so-called ?new economy? is rapidly transforming the advanced Western societies. Urban areas are being strengthened while many rural areas are being undermined in economic, demographic, and cultural terms. The impacts of these developments are particul arly pronounced in regions and communities that historically were heavily reliant on ?old economy? resource based industries and agriculture. Economic, social and cultural change in traditionally resource dependent ?old economy? areas manifests itself in manifold ways. One distinctive feature is the changing relationship to nature and to the utilization of natural resources that unfolds in such areas, frequently in contradictory ways. The aim of this project is to develop proposals for comparative researc h in Norway and Canada, focusing on the changing role of nature (economically and culturally) in resources dependent rural communities. Such knowledge is important from a land management point of view and from a rural policy point of view, but the researc h field is also well suited for analysis of major processes of social change in contemporary societies.