Rural depopulation, social resilience and context costs in the border municipalities of central Portugal. Dichotomies of social reorganization vs absence of public policies

Gonçalo Poeta Fernandes

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1278-0369

Portugal

Polytechnic of Guarda (IPG)

Coordinator Professor of Polytechnic Institute of Guarda – ESTH

CICS.NOVA - Centro Interdisciplinar de Ciências Sociais. CITUR - Centro de Investigação, Desenvolvimento e Inovação em Turismo. UDI/IPG - Research Unit for Inland Development.

Education and training:

2008 - PhD in Geography and Regional Planning, specializing in Planning and Territorial Management, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, New University of Lisbon.

1998 - Master of Regional Development and Border Areas, University of Beira Interior.

1994 - Degree in Geography and Regional Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, New University of Lisbon.

Teaching Activities and Training:

 

Professor the Polytechnic Institute of Guarda from 1997

Coordinator the Course of Tourism in the academic years of 2002 to 2004

Director of the Department of Social Sciences, Humanities and Education, at 2008

Coordinator of the Each Technical and Scientific Tourism and Leisure at 2009 at 2010

Coordinator of the Scientific Area of Culture Geography and Leisure at ESTH since 2008

Scientific Committee of the Master in Management and Sustainability of Tourism since 2009.

Coordinator of the IPG Study Cycle Assessment processes with the Agency for Accreditation and Evaluation of Higher Education - A3ES, since 2010

Project - OECD Skills Strategy / Building an effective skills strategy for Portugal 2014.

Positions and functions

Manager Urban, under program URBCOM from 2006 at 2008

Member of the Scientific Council of the Douro International Natural Park since 2013

Member of the Strategic Council of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park since 2014

Member of the Technical-Scientific Council of ParqUrbis since 2015

Member of the Team to preparation and promotion of the Application of Serra da Estrela to UNESCO Global Geoparks since 2014

Member of the Scientific Committee - Aspiring Geopark Estrela since 2015

Member of the Executive Board of the National Mountain Research Network of FCT since 2017

Member of the Scientific Council of the Iberian Mountain Research Network (RIIM) since 2017

Member of Working Group 4 of RIS 3 (CCDR Centro) - Territorial innovation: subgroups of Rural innovation and Research and Development and Innovation in Tourism since 2015

Vice-President of the Polytechnic Institute of Guarda from 2010 at 2018

Submitted: 2019-04-04

|

Accepted: 2019-06-11

|

Published: 2019-06-28

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7201/earn.2019.01.07

Copyright (c) 2019 Gonçalo Poeta Fernandes

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Funding Data

Downloads

Keywords:

Depopulation, Resilience, Borders, Governance and Sustainability

Supporting agencies:

This research was not funded

Abstract:

The border territories of the central region of Portugal with Castilla y Leon and Extremadura in Spain have been experiencing, during the last decades, depopulation dynamics and socioeconomic reorganizations that transformed the forms of work, the models of social organization and occupation and land use. The aim is to analyze and reflect on the demographic trajectories and their territorial implications, tackling depopulation with sustainability strategies. The local government initiatives have been unable to reverse trends of depopulation and the progressive abandonment of the settlements, agriculture and traditional industries, resulting in the loss of identit.

Show more Show less

References:

Aliste, J., Martinez, M., Natario, M. & Fernades, G. (2013). “Estudio Socioeconomico de la Frontera Castylla e León- Centro de Portugal”. In Castro, L. (Coord.): Estudio Socioeconomico de la frontera entre Portugal e España (pp: 139-221). RIET Salamnca: Ediciones RIET.

Arencibia, A. & González, C. (2013). Estrtaegia BIN-SAL 2020. Salamanca: Organismo Autónomo de Empleo y Desarrollo Rural (OAEDR) y Asociación de Municipios Cova da Beira (AMCB).

Azevedo, N. (2010). Tempos de Mudança nos Territórios de Baixa Densidade: as dinâmicas em Trás - os Montes e Alto Douro. Porto: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian.

Berkes, F. & Ross; H. (2013). Community resilience: Toward an integrated approach. Society and Natural Resources 26(1),5–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2012.736605.

Federal Institute for Research on Building, BBRS. (2013). Growing and shrinking regions in Europe. U.E. European Spatial Monitoring System. Ciudad: Editorial.

Braga, A., Natário, M., Daniel, A. & Fernandes, G. (2013). “Tendências Demográficas da Região Centro de Portugal: Caso de estudo dos Municípios de Baixa Densidade”. Communication presented to: XXIII Jornadas Hispano-Lusas de Gestión Científica, Málaga.

Bontje, M. & Musterd, S. (2012). “Understanding Shrinkage in European Regions”. Built Environment, 38(2), 153-161. http://dx.doi.org/10.2148/benv.38.2.153.

Caramelo, S. (2002). “Fronteiras e regioes fronteiriças na Uniao Europeia: procesos, dinamicas e singularidades do caso luso-espanhol”. In M. Tavares (Ed.): Identidade Europeia e Multiculturalismo (pp. 323-348). Coimbra: Quarteto Editora.

Castro, L. (Coord.), Figueiredo, A., Leal, I., Aliste, J., Martínez, M., Natário, M., Fernandes, G., Gallego, J., Pintor, J., Covas, A. & Tão, M. (2013). Estudio Socioeconómico de la Frontera Entre Portugal Y España/Estudo Socioeconómico da Fronteira entre Portugal e Espanha. Diputación de Salamanca. Organismo Autónomo de Empleo y Desarrollo Rural (OAEDR).

Cabero Diéguez, V., Campesino Fernández, A.J. & López Trigal, L. (1995). “El conocimiento de las franjas fronterizas. Aportación de los geógrafos españoles”. Boletín de la Asociación de Geógrafos Españoles, 21-22, 93-106.

Cabero Diéguez, V. & Caramelo, S. (2001). “The Evolution of the Spanish-Portuguese Border and the Process of European Integration”. Communication presented to 41st Congress of the European Regional Science Association, Zagreb.

Calderón, F.J. (2015). “Reviewing the Spanish-Portuguese border: Conflict, interaction and cross-border cooperation”. Estudios Fronterizos, nueva época, 16(31),39-55.

Calderón, F.J. (2017). “Borders within Europe, border deactivation,cross-border cooperation and institutions: The Iberian Raya case”. Estudios Fronterizos, 18(36), 78-101. http://dx.doi.org/10.21670/ref.2017.36.a04.

Cavaco, C. (1996). “Do despovoamento ao desenvolvimento local: desafio ou utopia”. In IEG/FLUC (Ed.): Dinamismos Socioeconómicos e (Re) Organização territorial: Processos de Urbanização e Reestruturação Produtiva, 333-356. Coimbra: Community & Regional Resilience Institute. (2013). Definitions of community resilience: An analysis. A CARRI Report. Washington D.C.: Meridian Institute.

Consultores de Polítcas Públicas, CPC. (2014). Análise da situação económica, social e ambiental da zona transfronteiriça de espanha e portugal. Doc. de Trabalho para a programação 2014-2020, Programa de Cooperação Transfronteiriça Espanha Portugal. Retrieved from: http://www.poctep.eu/sites/default/files/documentos/1420/Diagnostico_POCTEP_PT_V_07_04_145Mb.pdf.

Danar, O.R. & Pushpalal, D. (2014). “Building Community Resilience: Conceptual Framework and its Application in Post Tsunami Ressttlement”. Procedia Economic and Finance, 18, 489-496. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(14)00967-8.

Daniel, A., Braga, A., Fernandes, G. & Natario, M. (2014). “População da Região Centro de Portugal: Que Futuro para 2030”. Communication presented to Jornadas Luso-Espanholas de Gestão Científica, Leiria.

Domingos, M.V. (2009). “Protagonismo urbano em territórios de baixa densidade: Uma reflexão sobre o caso da Beira Interior”. Communication presented to V Congresso Português de Sociologia: Sociedades Contemporâneas: Reflexividade e Acção, Braga.

DPP. (2008). PROVERE. Programas de Valorização Económica de Recursos Endógenos. Das Ideias à Acção: Visão e Parcerias, Departamento de Prospectiva e Planeamento e relações Internacionais. Lisboa: Ministério do Ambiente, do Ordenamento do Território e do desenvolvimento Regional.

ESPON. (2007). Cross-Border Cooperation - Cross-Thematic Study of INTERREG and ESPON activities. Luxembourg: INTERACT.

ESPON. (2017a). Shrinking rural regions in Europe Towards smart and innovative approaches to regional development challenges in depopulating rural regions. Luxemburg: ESPON 2020 Monitoring Committee.

ESPON. (2017b). Geography of New Employment Dynamics in Europe. ESPON. Retrieved from: https://www. espon.eu/programme/projects/espon-2020/appliedresearch/geography-new-employmentdynamics-europe.

Faludi, A. (Ed.). (2010). Cohesion, coherence, cooperation: European spatialplanning coming of age? New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203842324

Fath, J. & Hunya, G. (2001). “Cross-Border economic co-operation on present and future EU borders, a summary of findings”. EnlargementResearch Bulletin, 2. European Commision.

Fernandes, G., Natário, M., Daniela, A. & Braga, A. (2012). “Evolução demográfica em municípios de baixa densidade no interior centro de Portugal”. In Royé, D., Aldrey Vázquez, J., Valcárcel Díaz, M., Pazos Otón, M. & Mantiñán, M.J. (Coord.): Respuestas de la Geografía Ibérica a la crisis actual. Communication presented to XIII Coloquio Ibérico de Geografía, AGE e APG, Santiago de Compostela.

Fernandes, G., Natario, M. & Braga A. (2014). “Entrepreneurship and structural constraints to development of the bordering municipalities of beira interior norte”, Communication presented to 11w Regions of Southern Europe held , 20 Cong. APDR, Évora.

Fernandes, G. & Natario, M. (2014). “Especificidade Territorial e Reconfigurações nas Relações entre Recursos e Comunidades na Região de Fronteira CenCyL (Centro de Portugal - Castilha e Lyon)”. In Jacinto, R. (Coord.): Espaços de Fronteira, territorios de esperança. Das Vulnerabilidades às Dinamicas de Desenvolvimento, Iberografias, nº27, 59-72, Centro de Estudos Ibéricos (CEI), Âncora editora.

Fernandes, G., Natario, M. & Braga, A. (2016). “Empreendedorismo e dinamismos socioeconómicos em territórios de fronteira. Uma abordagem à região transfronteiriça da bin-sal (beira interior norte-salamanca)”. In Trillo Santamaría, J.M & Pires, I. (Coord.): Las fronteras en la investigación peninsular: temáticas y enfoques contemporâneos. Santiago de Compostela: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela.

Fuller-Love, N., Midmore, P., Thomas, D. & Henley, A. (2006). “Entrepreneurship and rural economic development: A scenario analysis approach”. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research, 12(5), 289-305. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13552550610687655.

García-Cabrera, A.M., García-Soto, M.G. & Días-Furtado, J. (2015). “Emprender en economías emergentes: el entorno institucional y su desarrollo”. Revista Innovar, 25(57), 133-155. http://dx.doi.org/10.15446/innovar.v25n57.50357.

De Miguel Hidalgo, A., Parra Domínguez, J. & Benzinho, J.M. (20174). Costes de Contexto Tranfronterizos en el ámbito Empreserial- Territorio BIN-SAL (p.183). Diputacion de Salmanca: OAEDER.

Jayawarna, D., Jones, O. & Macpherson, A. (2011). “New business creation and regional development: Enhancing resource acquisition in areas of social deprivation”. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 23(9-10), 735-761. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2010.520337.

Kalantaridis, C. & Bika, Z. (2011). “Entrepreneurial origin and the configuration of innovation in rural areas: the case of Cumbria, North West England”. Environment and Planning A, 43(4), 866-884. http://dx.doi.org/10.1068/a43341.

Kelley, D., Singe, S. & Herrington, M. (2016). Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. 2015/16 Global Report. Retrieved from: https://www.gemconsortium.org/report/49480.

Kibler, E. (2013). “Formation of entrepreneurial intentions in a regional context”. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 25(3-4), 293-323. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2012.721008.

Lange, E. (2011). "A Cooperação Transfronteiriça Institucional na Região Norte de Portugal – Sobreposição ou Complementaridade?", In atas do 17.º Congresso da APDR - Gestão de Bens Comuns e Desenvolvimento Regional Sustentável. Junho/Julho 2011, p.1575-1590, Bragança.

Lange, E. (2012). “De ‘Países Subdesenvolvidos’ à ‘Fronteira do Subdesenvolvimento’ – Contributo para um Debate Conceitual do Desenvolvimento”. Communication presented to 18th APDR Congress - Innovation and Regional Dynamics, Faro. https://doi.org/10.24302/drd.v2i1.209

Martinez-Fernandez, C., Kubo, N., Noya, A. & Weyman, T. (2012). Demographic Change and Local Development: Shrinkage, Regeneration and Social Dynamics, OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED). Working Paper Series, p. 310.

Macías, J.I.S., Rodríguez, F., Fernandes, G.P., Natário, M.M., & Braga, A.M. (2014). Plano Transfronteiriço de Apoio ao Empreendedorismo na BIN/SAL. O Empreendedorismo na BIN/SAL (PITAE BIN-SAL). Salamanca: Diputación de Salamanca. Organismo Autónomo de Empleo Y Desarrolo Rural.

Malecki, E.J. (1994). “Entrepreneurship in Regional and Local Development”. International Regional Science Review, 6(1-2), 119-153. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/016001769401600107.

Medeiros, E. (2010). “Old vs Recent Cross-Border Cooperation: Portugal-Spain and Sweden-Norway”. AREA, 42(4): 434-443. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4762.2010.00940.x

Medeiros, E. (2011). “(Re)defining the concept of Euroregion”. European Planning Studies, 19(1), 141-158. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2011.531920.

Medeiros, E. (2016). “Territorial Cohesion: An EU Concept”. European Journal of Spatial Development, 60, 1-30. Retrieved from: http://www.nordregio.se/Global/EJSD/Refereed articles/refereed60.pdf.

Medeiros, E. (2018). “Should EU cross-border cooperation programmes focus mainly on reducing border obstacles”. Documents d’Anàlisi Geogràfica, 64(3), 467-49. http://dx.doi.org/10.5565/rev/dag.517.

Marsden, T., Lowe, P. & Whatmore, S. (1990) Rural Restructuring: Global Processes and their Responses. London: Fulton.

Natário, M.M. (2005). Inovação, Competitividade e Demografia Empresarial: o Caso da Raia Central Ibérica, PhD Thesis, Universidade Évora.

Natário, M., Braga, A. & Fernandes, G. (2015). “Entrepreneurship in Frontier Regions: Study of Four Municipalities from BIN”. Revista de Estudios Regionales, 104, 83-109.

Natário, M., Braga, A. & Fernandes, G. (2018). “Determinantes do desempenho empreendedor e inovador nas regiões transfronteiriças”. Innovar, 28(70), 39-54. http://dx.doi.org/10.15446/innovar.v28n70.74445.

Oliveira, T. (2005). “Tipologia das relações fronteiriças: elementos para o debate teórico-práticos”. In Oliveira, T. (Ed.): Território sem limites (pp. 377-408). Campo Grande: UFMS.

Pires, I. & Lange, E. (2016). “Quatro olhares sobre a raia ibérica: da fronteira «sentida» à fronteira «complexa»”. In Trillo Santamaría, J. & Pires, I. (Eds.): Fronteras en la investigación peninsular: temáticas y enfoques contemporáneos Fronteiras na investigação peninsular: temáticas e abordagens contemporâneas (pp 89-106). Universidade de Santiago de Compostela.

Policarpo, F. & Mogollón, R. (2015). “A actividade empreendedora na fronteira portugal-espanha alentejo- extremadura”. Communication presented to XVII Seminário Luso-Espanhol de Economia Empresarial, Covilhã.

Reitel B., Wassenberg B. & Peyrony J. (2018). “The INTERREG Experience in Bridging European Territories. A 30-Year Summary”. In: Medeiros E. (Eds.): European Territorial Cooperation. Springer International Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74887-0_14.

Reigado, F.M. (2002). “Desenvolvimento Regional Transfronteiriço”. In Costa, J.S. (Coord.): Compêndio de Economia Regional (pp 571-596). Angra do Heroísmo: Universidade dos Açores, Colecção APDR.

Sahlins, P. (1996). Frontières et identités nationales, la France et l’Espagne dans les Pyrénées depuis le XVIIe siècle. Paris: Belin.

Siemens, L. (2010). “Challenges, Responses and Available Resources: Success in Rural Small Businesses”. Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 23(1), 65-80. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08276331.2010.10593474.

Salgado, A.R. (2010). “La cooperación transfronteriza y sus consecuencias: hacia la reestructuración territorial en Europa”. Investigaciones Regionales, 18, 141-152.

Sánchez-Zamora, P., Gallardo-Cobos, R. & Delgado, F. (2016). “The Notion of Resilience in the Analysis of the Rural Territorial Dynamics: An Approach to the Concept through a Territorial Approach”. Cuadernos Desarrollo Rural, 13(77), 93-116. http://dx.doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.cdr13-77.nrad.

Silveira, L., Alves, D., Painho, M., Costa, A. & Alcântara, A. (2013). “The Evolution of Population Distribution on the Iberian Peninsula: A Transnational Approach (1877–2001)” Historical Methods, 46(3), 157-174. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01615440.2013.804787.

Skuras, D., Meccheri, N., Moreira, M., Rosell, J. & Stathopoulou, S. (2005). “Entrepreneurial Human Capital Accumulation and the Growth of Rural Businesses: A Four-Country Survey in Mountainous and Lagging Areas of the European Union”. Journal of Rural Studies, 21(1), 67-79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2004.05.001.

Trigal, L. (2005). “La Raya Ibérica como espacio de atracción y cooperación”. Papeles de Economia Española Nº 021 de las Comunidades Autónomas. La Raya Ibérica Centro-Sur. 21 (pp.11-13). Madrid: Fundación de las Cajas de Ahorros.

Trigal, L. (2013). “Revisión de la terminología sobre la frontera y lo fronterizo”. In Jacinto, R. (Coord.): Condições de vida, coesão social e cooperação territorial (pp 149-167). Lisboa: Âncora.

UE. (2008). “Shrinking Regions: A Paradigm Shift in Demography and Territorial Development. STUDY. Brussels: European Parliament. Retrieved from: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=IPOL-REGI_ET(2008)408928.

UE. (2013). A Socio - Economic Background Analysis Demographic Change in Central Europe.Retrieved from: https://www.academia.edu/6419971/Demographic_Change_in_Central_Europe_A_Socio-Economic_Background_Analysis.

Von Friedrichs, Y. & Boter, H. (2009). “Meeting Radical Change and Regional Transition: Regional Closedowns and the Role of Entrepreneurship”. Managing Global Transitions, 7(2), 99-122.

Show more Show less