The Role of Regional Policy in Reimagining the Rural: Comparing Contexts in Sardinia, Italy and Appalachia, USA

This paper compares the role of regional governance and policy in reimagining rural livelihoods after deindustrialization in two regions marginalized within their national contexts: Sardinia, Italy, and Appalachian Kentucky. Modernist regional policies intended to reduce economic disparities in both regions have resulted in further marginalization because of the external orientation of infra-structural development. Differences are observed in the facilitation of current efforts in sustainable regional development between Appalachian Kentucky, where there is very little state support and little local coordination, and Sardinia, where there is stronger organization of sustainable and participatory regional development due to the current place-based approach of the European Union CAP policies with a change of focus in the CAP policies.