TERRITORIAL IDENTITY AS A POLICY RESOURCE OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The purpose of the article is the explication of territorial identity as an intangible source of rural development. The study is built on the basis of a quality strategy using identical, spatial and sociocultural approaches, which allows to determine the resource potential of identity in political, managerial and economic practice. The author revealed structural components (markers), types of rural (low-level territorial-spatial) identity. The concepts of rural development that have developed in the modern scientific discourse (exogenous and (neo) endogenous approaches, relational placemaking) are described, with an explanation of the role of territorial identity in the considered models. Rural development is determined by internal, external factors or their combination; It is noted that in modern research and political practice, there has been a transition from a top-down approach to a network model of rural changes. The influence of the discourses of primary and secondary identity on the processes of unification of municipalities is shown. In the context of rural transformation policies, the development of local communities results in the strengthening of local entrepreneurship, networking, the formation of a culture of participation, and institutionalization. The study of network interactions allows us to understand the dynamics and the relationship between social capital and identity, as well as their role in rural development. Selective attachment to the village and the possession of social capital are the determining factors in the volunteering of local residents, the formation of an active rural community. The conclusion is formulated that a strong territorial identity promotes the integration of local stakeholders in development policy and the formation of a sustainable rural community.