4 Rural Development and the Regional Construct: A Comparative Analysis of the Newfoundland and Labrador and Ireland Contexts

Given their historical and cultural linkages as well as their shared status, until the last 15 years, as underdeveloped islands contiguous to larger industrial regions and societies, Ireland and Newfoundland and Labrador have become a topic of considerable interest among academics and the media, as well as among governments, for comparative purposes in understanding their recent development trajectories.As the authors of this chapter make clear in their analysis of planning and development policies in the two jurisdictions, despite many similarities, there are important historical, political, and economic differences as well.If lessons are to be learned for either jurisdiction, but particularly for Newfoundland and Labrador, understanding and appreciation of the different paths and contexts and their implications for comparative lessons are critical.northwest Connemara and Duhallow in northwest Cork and East Kerry, Kiltimagh, County Mayo), extensive experimentation and innovations in area-based partnerships (e.g., Meldon et al., 2002;Fitzpatrick Associates, 2003;O'Keeffe, 2006), and a variety of other initiatives.However, outside of the rich record of collaborative development and development planning evident in a variety of partnership arrangements (e.g., Sabel, 1996;Cavazzani and Moseley, 1999; Moseley, 2003a; Walsh and Meldon, 2004), a modest volume of analytical work has been completed on a comparative basis.The province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada has seen a varied array of rural development initiatives over the last four decades (Fuchs, 1995;Greenwood, 1997;House, 2003).The rural deprivation associated with long periods of relative disadvantage (e.g., in per capita incomes, unemployment rates), high levels of dependency on primary resources (e.g., forestry, mining, fishing), endemic out-migration, and slow economic growth was exacerbated by the cathartic and wholesale collapse of the northern cod fishery in the early 1990s.In the more recent past Newfoundland and Labrador has seen substantial macroeconomic revitalization through alternative fishery activities and offshore oil development (e.g., the Hibernia field).The province looks to further development opportunities through the massive Voisey's Bay nickel mine development, more oil and gas development, continuing diversification of its small manufacturing sector, and new developments in the telecommunications-based services sector.Rural development initiatives over these four decades have been varied, involving a considerable amount of innovation, learning, and cumulative refinement of policy, process, and organizational design.The latest is a significant initiative, in the Canadian context, involving multi-community and multi-interest Regional Economic Development Boards, organized on a territorial or zonal basis, entering into formal performance-based contractual relations with the provincial and the federal government for long-term rural development.This process has now been refined after an initial period of operation and assessment. RESEARCH PURPOSE AND APPROACHThe purpose of this research is to initiate a selective and exploratory comparative analysis of the rural development planning process in Ireland and Newfoundland and Labrador.The comparative analysis will be divided into two overlapping perspectives.The first will address development policy, its content, the underlying values and priorities that inform it, and the espoused rationale.These will be noted and a preliminary interpretation of each will be attempted.Second, the paper will initiate a comparative analysis of the process of development design, using the regional perspective as a case in point, and will examine this design in terms of its intent, rationale, direction, participants, and other characteristics, as well as its implementation as a revealed process of rural development planning.

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