The following documents are available for download. Documents in PDF format can be read using Adobe Reader.
MS Word and Powerpoint documents can be read by using their respective applications or any alternatives.
This study reviews recent rural policies and rural policy-making processes in Scotland & England.
Below are two Policy Briefings (Scotland & England) or the full report 'A Comparative Perspective'
Key findings of exploratory research which uses a 'Vulnerability Index' to calculate the vulnerability of 44 Scottish towns to economic downturn associated with public sector funding cuts.
This report discusses the main findings from a study of seventeen community land trusts in Scotland, carried out in May 2011.
A 2-page summary Research Briefing is also avilable
Communications infrastructure is vital for underpinning activities and wellbeing in rural Scotland, but many rural areas have no, or very limited and unreliable, mobile phone coverage.
The May 2011 election in Scotland returned an overall majority for the SNP, the first majority in the Scottish Parliament's history.
This Research Briefing highlights the key findings from a 'Vulnerability Index' of Scottish rural local authorities.
The Rural Policy Centre's latest research report explores the rural implications of changing public sector budgets in Scotland.
A 2-page summary Research Briefing is also available
This Policy Briefing reviews some of the current policy debates surrounding the high price of fuel.
The Rural Scotland in Focus Report 2010 is the first of what will become a series of SAC reports on the state of rural Scotland.
This research briefing discusses the key findings from a survey of rural businesses in the North East of England carried out in 2009.
This report looks at the trends in livestock numbers and at some of the policy challenges that these changes raise.
For a 2-page summary please see the Research Briefing.
This review for the Scottish Government looks at the literature on poverty in rural areas.
The Rural Policy Centre carried out a study on the Scottish Government’s behalf, looking at Europe’s existing Rural Parliaments.
This report is the second in the Rural Scotland in Focus series and aims to provide a fast-track to evidence, commentary on key themes, and an extensive compendium of resources.
A report on stakeholder views on the establishment of a Rural Parliament in Scotland in September 2013
The final Cross Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Rural Policy was held on the 22 May 2013. The agenda, minutes, presentations and summary briefing are available to download below.
Policy briefing discussing the future of the New Rural Paradigm, drawing on recent rural policy developments in England and Scotland
This policy briefing discusses the challenges of securing affordable housing in rural Scotland and provides some key messages for research and policy.
This report is based on collaborative work undertaken in Boljevac, a rural village in central southern Serbia to understand the scale and nature of the challenges and opportunities faced.
This Policy Briefing is based on the presentations and discussion at the SRUC Consultative Committee on Rural Development, held in March 2013.
Based on exploratory work in South Australia, this briefing discusses the varied benefits that rural businesses bring to their local communities and includes some key messages for policy-makers.
This briefing summarises the views expressed at the meeting of the Cross Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Rural Policy in March 2013, which focused on the community ownership of assets.
This report examines volunteering in rural Scotland. The study found variations in volunteering activity across Scotland which need to be taken into account at a time of public service reform.
This briefing summarises the key findings of research which explored volunteering in rural areas of Scotland at a time of public service reform.
The report on the linkage between the management and decision-making of family estates, and wider rural (community) resilience can be downloaded below
Research undertaken as part of the Scottish Government's Strategic Research Programme, Economic Adaptation: Developing a low carbon rural economy
This briefing highlights the main issues discussed at the Cross Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Rural Policy and provides some key messages for research and policy on the SRDP 2014-2020.
This research briefing discusses the findings of research work to understand how the application of Passivhaus building design standards could help achieve a low carbon rural future.
The presentations and meeting materials can be downloaded below
10th December Meeting Agenda
(108.38 KB, PDF)
10th December Approved Minutes
(325.23 KB, PDF)
Deprivation in the Rural Coalfields
(269.32 KB, PDF)
Older People and Poverty in Rural Britain
(132.2 KB, PDF)
Rural disadvantage: Some challenges ahead
(883.29 KB, PDF)
Audio recording of Rural poverty and disadvantage: presentations
(14.02 MB, MP3)
Transcript of Presentations
(247.38 KB, PDF)
Audio recording of Rural poverty and disadvantage: Discussion
(13.73 MB, MP3)
Transcript of Discussion
(255.5 KB, PDF)
Rural Poverty and Disadvantage Policy Briefing
(185.07 KB, PDF)
The briefing is based on the views expressed at the meeting of the Cross Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Rural Policy in February 2014.
A copy of the 2014 report can be downloaded from below either in high or low resolution. If you have a slow internet connection please download the low res copy or email us for a hard copy.
This Research Briefing highlights some of the key messages that have been discussed in the Rural Focus in Scotland 2014 report.
This Research Briefing discusses the community benefits of commercial developers to nearby communities in relation to the installation of renewable projects.
This is a policy briefing of the discussion held at the Cross Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Rural Policy on Coastal Regeneration.
This is a Research Briefing highlighting some of the findings from on a LEADER funded initiative called Capacity for Change.
This is a Report analysing the 2014 referendum on Scottish Independence in September 2014 from a rural perspective.
This policy briefing discusses the context and background to the case for further devolution of power to Scotland’s communities.
This Research Briefing investigates the business activity of older people (aged 50 years+) in rural areas and how this differs to businesses owned by younger people (aged 49 or under).
This report summarises discussions from a Joint Roundtable Event organised by the Scottish Consortium for Rural Research (SCRR) and SRUC Rural Policy Centre and held on 30 June 2015.
This policy briefing summarises the key findings from an RPC study to evaluate the impact of the S J Noble Trust’s funding for rural businesses operating in the Argyll and the Islands area.
This policy briefing discusses the existing evidence base on rural businesses in Scotland and identifies some key gaps that need to be filled in order to improve what we know about these businesses.
Briefings by Rob McMorran on how landowners impact CNP
This research briefing highlights the motives, barriers and opportunities that community groups face when installing renewable energy projects in Scotland through a case study approach.
This research briefing by Hannah Benn uses South Africa as a case study for exploring issues related to the 'Green Economy Transition'
This briefing summarises work undertaken on business support experiences of firms located in rural areas in the South of Scotland, and their needs, challenges and opportunities.
Key issues raised at October 2017 Cross Party Group on Rural Policy, which focused on 'diverse rural economies'
Report on the evaluation of the Scottish and Southern Energy Griffin and Calliachar Enterprise fund - published January 2019
Thriving Communities sub-categories