Research pick: Closing the very rural divide - "What is remote-rural and why is it important?"

The concept of rurality is well-trodden ground in policy discussions, but less attention has been given to its more elusive sibling, remote-rurality. A study in the World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development has looked at this concept and reveals the complexities of defining and addressing the needs of remote-rural areas, particularly in Scotland, where the distinction is not merely academic but vital to economic sustainability and infrastructure planning.

Sayed Abdul Majid Gilani and Naveed Yasin of the Canadian University Dubai, UAE, and Peter Duncan and Anne M.J. Smith of Glasgow Caledonian University, UK, introduce five dimensions to discuss remote-rural regions: population size, proximity to urban centres, level of development, cultural characteristics, and social perception. These categories highlight the inadequacy of relying on a single definition for remote-rural areas, emphasizing the need for a multidimensional approach.

Defining “rural” is no simple task, the team points out, as various countries use different metrics – such as population thresholds of under 2500 in the USA and fewer than 10000 in the UK. However, the addition of remote-rurality introduces further layers of isolation, limited services, and distinct cultural identities that demand attention from researchers and thence from policymakers.

In Scotland, the government distinguishes between “accessible-rural” and “remote-rural” regions, the latter being considerably more isolated from urban hubs. This distinction is more than theoretical – it has implications for infrastructure, most notably transport, food availability, and now, broadband connectivity, which remains alarmingly inadequate in many remote-rural areas. The research highlights that over 80% of businesses in Scotland’s remote regions are small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), many of which cannot operate effectively nor efficiently because they lack access to basic services those in urban regions take for granted.

In this study, the team urges policymakers to adopt a more nuanced understanding of remote-rural areas when considering infrastructure investments. By addressing the challenges faced by such communities, governments might create conditions that enable businesses not just to survive, but to thrive, and so preclude the exodus of SMEs to the cities. This would not only benefit those business but reduce some of the pressure on already overcrowded cities as well as reducing the cultural and economic divide between urban and rural areas.

The team emphasizes that enhanced broadband access, for instance, could allow SMEs to operate more efficiently and allow them to exploit national and global markets more effectively. The survival of these SMEs, is often critical to the economic sustainability of remote-rural regions.

Gilani, S.A.M., Yasin, N., Duncan, P. and Smith, A.M.J. (2024) ‘What is remote-rural and why is it important?’, World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, Vol. 20, No. 5, pp.517–537.