Small towns and rural areas are not the main policy priority of governments in the developing world, despite these centres facing profound development challenges, such as rural decline, economic collapse and the lack of adequate technical and financial resources. The South African government’s National Development Plan (NDP) (2011), however, calls for more research into, and for the unpacking of, rural differentiation in order for policy-makers to fully comprehend the rural dynamics of the country. It is thus the aim of the project to unpack rural differentiation in a number of ways and themes. This will be accomplished through a comprehensive literature review on the context of rurality and small towns in the international and South African contexts. The project will bring together eight scholars from Sweden and South Africa to meet twice to discuss the project progress, as well as work on a more elaborate project proposal for future funding. Financier: South Africa – Sweden University Forum (SASUF)
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