Sustainable development and policies in rural regions; insights from the Shetland Islands

The web as a framework for retrospective and comparative analysis has enabled us to study the ongoing change Shetland has undergone from a “peripheral”, “clientelist countryside” to a “segmented area”, characterised by a unique and shifting configuration of rural development domains. The web, used in the manner attempted here, highlights the dynamism and captures the multidimensionality inherent in rural development processes. The findings can inform the debate on how to achieve an effective interplay between agency and institutions, and balance 'bottom-up' versus 'top-down' approaches to development.