European Regional Science Association
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European Regional Science Association
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The abstract for paper number 507:
Garri Raagmaa, University of Tartu Pärnu College, Pärnu, Estonia, Kristi Laustam, Jõgeva County Government / University of Tartu, Institute of Geography, Jõgeva, Estonia
Public leaders as innovators in sparsely populated rural communities
This study examines the role of different types of public leaders in regional/local development. We shift away from the institutional approach dominant in regional development studies and present a less acknowledged way of thinking – leaders as key players changing and innovating institutions. We argue that leaders have decisive roles during unstable periods in a society when a small fluctuation may qualitatively change the direction of development.
Local leaders play a major role in organising local life, particularly in rural/peripheral, where the importance of “interpretation” has been increased a lot. The lower is spatial organisation level and smaller system, the higher the importance of such "revolutions" and entrepreneurial leaders, who lead an organisation or a community to a new life. That’s why we can find very similar communities (in terms of geographical location and economic, demographic and cultural characteristics) with significant differences in development. If some communities have been able to invite new enterprises and create new jobs over recent years, nothing positive has happened in neighbouring communities. Quite often, the only reason has been the qualitatively different public leadership.
We are starting with a theoretical discussion, pointing out characteristics and abilities of public leaders, factors influencing the leadership process, and comparison with private sector leadership. The empirical part consist of two studies based on in-depth interviews (using standard questionnaires as a backbone for a free-form discussion) carried out with 13 community mayors and other key persons in Jõgeva in the summer 1996 and repeatedly early spring 2001. A typology of local leaders will be given.
Unfortunately full paper has not been submitted.