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Abstract This paper focuses on sense of place as a cultural ecosystem service and a mediatory experience in grasping a collection of ecosystem benefits. Through phenomenological and social constructionism/relational approaches, we focus on sense of place as a relational entity at both the individual and collective levels. Using content analysis of 32 in-depth interviews with (a) environmental officials and (b) local inhabitants in the region of Ostrobothnia, Finland, the study finds that sense of place is shaped via the interactions of environmental settings and cultural practices. Here, we argue that material and non-material interactions contribute to sense of place. With a phenomenological approach, the study presents the qualities associated with places, such as tranquility, beauty, and uniqueness that are important for achieving both material and non-material ecosystem benefits, while social constructionism/relational approaches indicate that the social dimension of sense of place contributes to ecosystem service benefits through traditional cultural practices. The study also shows a shift in cultural practices from provisioning to recreation in creating meaningful places. The results highlight a multilocal dimension of senses of places, particularly in contemporary lifestyles and increased mobilities.

AbstractCurrent rural proofing models are criticised for the inability to perceive detailed and varying local circumstances and the inability to pay attention to dynamics, to changing circumstances and the potential for change. The concept of rural proofing is discussed in this article, along with examples of proofing models in different countries. The deficiencies of the models are addressed using the concepts spatial justice and social innovation, which in combination allow for perceiving essential factors connected to geography and the varying capability of places. Two case studies are used for demonstrating the importance of these factors when judging centralising reforms. Together, the theoretical discussion and the case studies inform the construction of a new model for rural proofing, more relevant to rural development.

The essential issue in this article is the relevance of the output of governance networks and the impact this relevance has on the democratic qualities of the network. The indifference for political participation is an urgent problem in contemporary societies, and as a consequence new forms of participation have been advocated by researchers and politicians. Examples can be found in the model for regional development of the European Union, which presupposes involvement of local actors, and in the research field of deliberative democracy, through which the practice of citizen juries has become increasingly frequent in political decision making. By investigating a specific governance network for regional planning in the region of Ostrobothnia in Finland, the article want to draw attention to the relevance of the output of such networks and the impact this relevance has on its possibilities for positive democratic contribution. The study compares the network operations with democratic ideals found in governance network theory and deliberative democracy theory. The contrast between casual conversation and discussions for deciding crucial issues becomes a central point for understanding the impact of relevance. The article suggests that a policy network cannot be democratic until its output is relevant, and this may be done through increasing publicity.

The essential issue in this article is the relevance of the output of governance networks and the impact this relevance has on the democratic qualities of the network. The indifference for political participation is an urgent problem in contemporary societies, and as a consequence new forms of participation have been advocated by researchers and politicians. Examples can be found in the model for regional development of the European Union, which presupposes involvement of local actors, and in the research field of deliberative democracy, through which the practice of citizen juries has become increasingly frequent in political decision making. By investigating a specific governance network for regional planning in the region of Ostrobothnia in Finland, the article want to draw attention to the relevance of the output of such networks and the impact this relevance has on its possibilities for positive democratic contribution. The study compares the network operations with democratic ideals found in governance network theory and deliberative democracy theory. The contrast between casual conversation and discussions for deciding crucial issues becomes a central point for understanding the impact of relevance. The article suggests that a policy network cannot be democratic until its output is relevant, and this may be done through increasing publicity.

Social innovations (SIs) are new ideas that create collaboration or new social relationships and thus meet local needs. The purpose of the research is to understand the role of SIs and community-based quadruple-helix actors in rural development. The research question is how do community-based quadruple-helix actors contribute to the formation of SI networks in the context of rural development? The triple helix model represents innovations as emerging in cooperation between three helices (university, industry, and government). The quadruple helix (QH) adds civil society as a fourth helix. Using the QH model in rural development requires a broad definition of the helices. In addition to universities, all types of educational and research institutes are important. In addition, different types of public organisations are important, not just the government. We define the fourth helix as representing civil society as a community, not just individual citizens. Our main argument is that the QH model fosters understanding of the variety of formal and informal ways in which SI enables societal development in rural areas. We examine the relevant relationships with the help of the strands of literature on SI and QH, and also a case study on projects conducted under the LEADER programme (Aktion Österbotten) in Finland. The case study is based on a narrative approach inspired by the learning history method, with the identification of critical incidents, which help us to identify how the QH evolves throughout successful community-driven SIs. The narrative approach reveals the significance of informal communities in transforming QH relations. Many projects under the LEADER programme aim to strengthen the attraction of communities by promoting local identity, including broad participation in collective events, such as enjoying nature, cultural events, sports, and other social activities. Many of those activities have the potential to spill over into other types of SI, such as entrepreneurship oriented towards tourism and new solutions to social needs. The decisive factor for the success of the projects was the involvement of local communities. The local knowledge of the communities was nourished in the projects in interaction with other local and extra-local QH actors. Accordingly, the main contribution of the paper is combining the notions of SI and the QH, and presenting the fourth helix as a community enabling rural development. We call this rural development model the community-driven QH model. ; © 2020 Elsevier. This manuscript version is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY–NC–ND 4.0) license, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ; fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed|