Women’s Entrepreneurship and Rural Regional Revitalisation – Comparative Study
Women’s Entrepreneurship and Rural Regional Revitalisation – Comparative Study addresses the persistent policy challenge of how to stimulate economic revitalisation in ‘left behind’ rural regions. This comparative, exploratory ethnographic study examines the extent to which locally led entrepreneurial ventures by less-visible social actors (rural women) are contributing to the creation of new and more sustainable economic paths in rural regions. Focusing on post-industrial rural regions in Australia (North West Coast of Tasmania) and the USA (Susquehanna River Valley of Central Pennsylvania), this research aims to provide theoretical and practical insights about the gendered dimensions of entrepreneurial agency and how ‘left behind’ regions can develop sustainable economic alternatives for the future.
“I am grateful to the Regional Studies Association for supporting this international research project, which provides an opportunity to shed light on the often-invisible economic contributions of rural women. As an anthropologist who studies regional development, I value the interdisciplinarity of the RSA community and the opportunities for scholarly exchange that this provides.2