Counterurbanisation: comparisons between the developing and developed world

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study aims to address the current paucity of research on counterurbanisation in the developingworld and its role in rural development by means of descriptive statistical and hierarchical clusteranalysis of counterurbanisation and counterurbanisation destinations in South Africa. The results arethen placed within the larger context of developing world counterurbanisation research. The studyargues firstly, in line with other recent studies in the field, that counterurbanisation is a meaningfulsubject of scientific interest due to its proportional impact on the smaller settlements which this typeof migration targets. This applies even in cases where it isn't the dominant migration pattern.Secondly, the study finds evidence that counterurbanisation is far more significant in the developingworld than commonly assumed, and also far more varied: While there is clear and widespreadevidence of typical developed world post-productivist/environmentalist counterurbanisation,research also shows two other distinctive forms: Firstly, pre-productivist/ -productionist agrariancounterurbanisation occurs in countries with struggling urban economies and under-utilizedagricultural capital; Secondly, primary and secondary sector-led productivist/productionistcounterurbanisation, contrary to the developed world, may well be the dominant form ofcounterurbanisation in developing countries. These variations have clear implications for migrationand rural development policy differentiation in the developing world.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University