Critical Understanding of the Rural Actors’ Behaviour for Rural Transformation: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Rural development has received less attention than urban areas yet is critically important in supplementing balanced social and environmental capital development sources. In most cases, top-down policies are implemented to assist in the transformation of rural actors’ lives and quality environments. Besides the physical rural planning, rural actors’ behaviour is crucial to materialising top-down policies for rural transformation. However, limited studies have clarified the meaning and conceptualised the scope of rural actors’ behaviour. Therefore, this study aims to understand rural actors’ behaviour towards empowering their roles in enhancing rural transformation. The systematic literature review methodology was applied where related WoS and Scopus databases were quantified, and critical themes were analysed through a qualitative thematic analysis using Atlas.ti. The findings reveal five important themes of economy, environment, physiology, social, and technology of the behaviour of rural actors that shed light on scoping the typology of the rural transformation. The manifestation of rural actors’ behaviours could lie in the spectrum of negative, neutral, and positive and mutually exclusive responses to the digital, economic, environmental, and social milieu of rural transformation. This finding underscores the complexity and diversity inherent in rural contexts, where actors encompass various entities such as individuals, communities, organisations, and institutions operating within rural settings. Multiple definitions and perspectives reflect rural communities’ intricacies, multifaceted nature, and transformation directions. The discussions suggest that rural actors’ behaviour cannot be simplified or reduced to a single framework or explanation. Instead, rural transformation requires a comprehensive and multidimensional approach that considers these actors’ varied motivations, needs, and decision-making processes. The study highlights the significance of social networks and community ties in shaping the behaviour of rural actors and the impact of cultural norms and values on their decision-making processes. This study contributes to developing a comprehensive framework for conceptualising the meaning and scope of rural actors’ behaviour in rural development initiatives. Policymakers and rural planners can consider these insights to design contextually relevant strategies promoting sustainable development, social cohesion, and well-being in rural areas in developing and developed countries.