Development of Lithuanian rural regions towards knowledge society

• IDEAS: straipsnio tekstas

ENThis paper is devoted to examining main changes in Lithuanian rural regions and determinants of rural development important for creation of knowledge society in the past and in the future. Analysed period starts from the restitution of Lithuania’s independence in 1990 and continues until recent days. To understand, why issues of knowledge society are currently challenging the development of predominantly rural regions and the mission of rural policy, requires the awareness that society is not a static entity, but an ever-changing one. Rural people of Lithuania, today, live in a society different from that of generations past. Despite the fact that over the last two decades economic and social system of Lithuanian rural areas has changed substantially, rural policy and support measures not always reflected the fact that society has entered into a new stage of evolution. Approaches to Lithuanian rural development policy in the first decade of the 21st century were incomplete to push predominantly rural regions toward knowledge society. A more comprehensive agenda needs to go beyond information dissemination, trainings and discrete initiatives to include additional approaches. These approaches should involve greater recognition of tacit knowledge and support rural economy and community transformations by new forms of partnership, coordination and participation, dealing with local perceptions, fostering innovations and social capital building. A failure to understand this may result in rural policy decisions that are no longer relevant to today’s needs, much less tomorrow’s. Moreover there seems to be a general need for further information and research relevant to rural policy strategies in knowledge society. Policy makers lack information on the best practices and skills to transform current rural development paradigm based on old model of thinking. [From the publication]

• Vadyba / Management
• Ekonomika / Economics