ReRIC
This Reimagined policy futures: Shaping sustainable, inclusive and just rural and island communities in Scotland (ReRIC) project is funded through the Rural Futures Theme of the Scottish Government's 2022-2027 Strategic Research Programme on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture.
Scotland’s rural and island communities have experienced a number of persistent challenges over the last few decades which impact negatively on their sustainability and resilience. This project is undertaking in-depth research on three of those challenges:
- Access to affordable housing;
- Depopulation and out-migration (particularly amongst young people);
- Exclusion and marginalisation.
The project aims to provide new insights on how these challenges might effectively addressed, in light of changing policy, political, socio-economic and environmental trends.
The project combines innovative, large-scale citizen science through this Rural Exchange web site to gather information, ideas and commentary, with quantitative analysis of secondary data, in-depth qualitative work with stakeholders and communities, comprehensive policy reviews, international evidence-gathering and horizon-scanning activities.
Bringing together evidence from multiple sources will ensure that the project generates future-focused learning and evidence-based recommendations for new and re-designed policy tools and interventions to ensure sustainable, inclusive and just futures for Scotland’s rural and island communities.
