3: Power

b: homogenisation

The dominant 'system of governance' (i.e. centralised state governance) privileges national associations and lobbies over local ones. They can mobilize across a broad political front and therefore have access to state legislatures in a way which local interests do not - e.g. the National Farmer's Union in the UK, and the National Rifle Association in the US. By standing between local places and the seats of power, they in fact homogenize the various constituencies they purport to represent. Nevertheless, the tendency towards new forms of governance that involve actors other than the state, build partnerships, encourage participation, validate local knowledge, and devolve power in both urban and rural settings is opening up new space.

Rural interests can align themselves with broader urban interests to mount joint single-issue campaigns but do need to be careful that the specificities of their local concerns do not get swept away by the power of the larger project. Some examples were found from the difficult area of rural-environmental, and environmental-indigenous people's coalitions. Conversely, however, it is important that rural interests are represented on the boards of national or international interest groups, as very often the policies of these groups directly impinge on rural people and places. For example, the World Wildlife Fund influences EU regulation but has no direct legitimacy in the rural arena. Yet, through its influence on Brussels, its policy orientations are applied to rural places.