@unpublished{theses_frw3413,
           title = {Power to the community},
            year = {2021},
          author = {Stijn te Wierik},
        abstract = {Especially in rural areas in decline it is important for residents to organize in citizen initiatives and to help each other. With citizen initiatives, rural residents try to keep their living environment vital and liveable.To research how citizen initiatives can influence the liveability in rural areas in decline, the following research question has been formulated: ??How can local citizen initiatives influence the liveability in rural areas in decline??? To answer this research question, research has been conducted within the municipality of Loppersum. First, citizen initiatives counteract rural decline by means of providing new services and facilities and by having a positive impact on demographical and socio-cultural aspects. Second, citizen initiatives often tackle multiple rural liveability challenges at once by combining all kinds of services and facilities. Third, citizen initiatives can play a role as sparring partner for municipalities. For example, citizen initiatives could be a sparring partner for municipalities in determining rural liveability policies. Finally, there are several ways to look at the rise of citizen initiatives in tackling rural liveability challenges in areas in decline. Advocates cherish the opportunity for citizen initiatives to empower and promote the renaissance of cooperation between citizens and governments. However critics view civic empowerment as state withdrawal and condemn the shift from public towards private responsibility.},
             url = {https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/3413/}
}