This study is the result of a participatory and collaborative project in which Swedish scholars and representatives of island organizations in Sweden set out to define what Swedish island research is and identify imminent research gaps. The article answers the following questions: 1) Which key research gaps can be identified in Swedish island research? 2) How can we relate Swedish island research to the international field of island research? The study is based on community based participatory research. Data was collected through a participatory process with workshops, webinars, and participatory activities in 2022. The main conclusion is that there is a democracy deficit affecting island development which is caused by the institutional structure in Sweden where island communities are mainly subordinated mainland municipalities, and a lack of island and archipelago policies.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this study is shed light on the underlying forces behind entrepreneurship within a regional innovation system (RIS) in a remote rural region. The authors examine the following questions: Which are the main underlying forces behind the entrepreneurial process in a rural RIS characterized by traditionally low-tech, small-scale businesses? How can the development of a low-tech regional innovation system be conceptualized?

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

The design of the study is based on entrepreneurship theory. Data analysis followed practices used in phenomenography, a research approach used to analyse and identify commonalities and variations in populations' perceptions of a certain phenomenon. Data are composed using semi-structured interviews and a database composed of company information of all firms in the population.

FINDINGS

A proactive mobilization of regional stakeholders and resources can be an important driving force behind the entrepreneurial process and generation of a rural RIS. Innovation can be generated within low-tech industries turning the rural context into an asset. An RIS in a remote rural context can be initiated and orchestrated by regional authorities, but knowledge brokering and orchestration can also be managed by networks of small-scale businesses brought together by mutual benefit and common interests.

RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS

Regional innovation systems theory is most often used to study high-tech industries. But by combining regional innovation systems with rural entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship context theory is a fruitful avenue to understand the role of rural entrepreneurship in regional development, even in remote and peripheral regions. Innovation does not need to entail high-tech international environments; it can appear as the result of efforts in low-tech industries in rural and remote environments. The authors’ findings need to be scrutinized; therefore, the authors call for more research on regional innovation systems in rural environments.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

It is possible for regional authorities to orchestrate a development process through the actions of a strong regional agent but also by supporting the creation of networks of small businesses that are built on trust and common interests.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

This study contributes to the literature with a new perspective to the study of entrepreneurship and of regional innovation systems. Entrepreneurship research with focus on rural contexts most often highlight limits to entrepreneurship and see entrepreneurship as “just running a business”. A perspective that starts from innovation and innovative behaviour, despite the rural context and embedded resources, helps to generate new knowledge that can enrich the understanding of entrepreneurship and also be the foundation for more precise business development policies in rural settings.

This study aims to analyze the main drivers behind summer farmtourism and the elements of summer farms and the summer farmexperience that create value for tourists. The study contributes tothe conceptualization of summer farm food consumption. Bycombining concepts used in the analysis of rural tourism, such aspostmodernity and cultural heritage, with the hospitality-orientedFive Aspects Meal Model, we offer a new avenue to understandthe drivers behind summer farm tourism. Empirically, the studycontributes by bringing a hospitality perspective into researchabout rural tourism, thus offering new avenues for futureresearch. The results show that intrinsic and extrinsic values (e.g.product-specific and non-product-specific characteristics) ofsummer farm products, along with a welcoming atmosphere,aspects related to the cultural and biological heritage of summerfarms, the scenery, and the possibility of encountering real-lifeanimals, are appreciated elements in creating consumer andtourist value. Tourists appreciate the simple rural experience andwish to preserve the cultural heritage embedded in summerfarms. Furthermore, traditional elements of hospitality are highlyconditioned by postmodern and cultural heritage values.

The aim is to advance the conceptualisation of island entrepreneurship by investigating how theisland context, for example, industry characteristics, social context and formal and informal institutions,influences the development of artisan food businesses in that context. An applied, qualitative and participatory research approach wasimplemented. Data were collected during a business development process focusing on food artisans in theAland Islands. In total, 19 business owners participated in the process. Key informants and public officers wereinterviewed, and the literature was reviewed. Interviews were analysed using phenomenography to identifyrepresentative categories, and the literature was analysed using content analysis. Island characteristics and context, local institutions, the quality of social capital and genderedinstitutions influence business activities positively and negatively. Island entrepreneurship entails mobilisingagencies to find innovative solutions that enable businesses to overcome obstacles. Most previous research treats business activities as entrepreneurship; however, as self-employment is essential in the island context,it should be highlighted in future studies. This study illustrates how the island context influences the businessdevelopment of small firms. Results indicate that local policies (1) benefitting female entrepreneurs, (2)supporting local businesses and (3) promoting locally produced artisan food could generate benefits for theentire artisan food businesses. Local policies that (1) benefit female entrepreneurs, (2) support local businesses and(3) promote locally produced artisan food have the potential to generate benefits for the entire trade. Policies canbenefit from an understanding of the role played by different ecosystem actors. Promoting self-employmentcan generate benefits for the local entrepreneurial ecosystem by providing agglomeration and helping to solvesome challenges caused by the characteristics of islands. Empirically, this research enhances the knowledge of post-productive responses in theisland context. Theoretically, the study advances the conceptualisation of research on the islandentrepreneurship context and the local food debate.

The lion’s share of entrepreneurship research highlights conditions in core regions, while entrepreneurship in peripheral areas has been less studied. This longitudinal study aims at exploring the interplay between the peripheral contexts of island and archipelago communities and firm outcomes - paying special attention to spatial variations and non-linear temporal dimensions. We focus on the survival of all firms active on 17 islands in the Stockholm archipelago, Sweden during a 20-year period (2000-2019). Using longitudinal multilevel modelling, we find that - despite being a seemingly ‘homogeneous’ place - spatial and temporal variations, however small, would have substantial effects on the conditions for everyday entrepreneurship in these communities. Our results show that firms located on islands with higher population density and seasonal dependability face increased probabilities of exit, while access to digital ecosystems, local services in the form of kindergartens, and year-round grocery stores decrease the probabilities of exit. Islands with thicker institutional context, indicating trust and community support, lead to higher survival rates.

Purpose – The paper contributes to the debate about local food and conceptualization of ruralentrepreneurship by analysing the performance of small-scale dairies departing from their relation toinnovations, innovative activities and risk.

Design/methodology/approach – The authors use phenomenography to identify representative categories,and to draw conclusions about how these are consistent or different from dominant definitions of ruralentrepreneurship and self-employment. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews, participatoryworkshops and compiled a database of all small-scale dairies established between 1968 and 2020.

Findings – A focus on innovations contributes to differentiate between rural entrepreneurship and selfemployment and how these interact in the process of economic growth. Innovations are seldom disruptive.Instead, innovative behaviour is strongly related to business models and to imitation. Social capital andcollective action play a key role for the innovative capacity of small businesses, especially to realize disruptiveinnovations, such as the establishment of a new market.Research

limitations/implications – The innovative capacity of rural businesses can be understoodthrough their ability to break patterns, alter institutions and turn embededdness into assets. Rural entrepreneurship and self-employment are intertwined in the economic growth process.

Practical implications – Innovative behaviour is a significant aspect for firm survival over time, and it isalso strongly related to new business models. Most rural firms can be characterized as self-employment, thelatter are essential because they provide rural livelihoods and help bring maturity to newly establishedmarkets.

Social implications – The right type of support, e.g. adopting enabling industrial regulations and grantingaccess to constructive experiences of others, contributes to the innovative behaviour of small-scale rural firms.

Originality/value – This study differentiates rural entrepreneurship from rural self-employment byanalysing the role of innovation. The authors show how innovations and innovative behaviour work their waythrough the process of economic growth and how innovation can break patterns by turning ruralembeddedness into assets; and how innovative behaviour related to self-employments contributes to thecreation of value and interacts with entrepreneurship in the process of economic growth.

Covid-19 increased the social and economic vulnerability of island societies. Swedishislands are key tourism destinations but are also home to many island residents. Previous studies have highlighted the impact of Covid-19 on core areas, but our knowledge of its impact on island communities is lacking. We use phenomenology to analyse how communities in small Swedish islands perceive the impact ofCovid-19. We use institutional theory and the concepts of social capital and accessibility in the analysis.Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus groups with islanders and representatives of local organizations on sampled islands. Pandemic regulations affected island communities differently.Authorities and shipping companies strove to discourage people from visiting islands. This affected tourismnegatively in some islands, whereas tourism increased in others. Informal institutions established a basis forgood community relations; enabled the mobilization of social capital, especially given action by local agentswho were endorsed by the community. Cooperation was a key to reducing negative impact. Accessibilityincreased on islands with well-developed and expanded IT-infrastructure that enabled holiday homeownersto work from their holiday islands. This helped create a sustained positive economic trend for grocery storesand the construction industry

La Covid-19 aumentó la vulnerabilidad social y económica de las sociedades insulares.Las islas suecas son destinos turísticos clave y hogar para muchos isleños. Estudios anteriores destacan elimpacto de la Covid-19 en áreas centrales, pero nuestro conocimiento sobre su impacto en comunidadesinsulares es escaso. Usamos la fenomenología para analizar cómo las comunidades en pequeñas islas suecasperciben el impacto de la Covid-19. El trabajo realizado emplea conceptos de teoría institucional, capitalsocial y accesibilidad. Los datos se recopilaron vía entrevistas semiestructuradas y grupos focales conempresarios y representantes de organizaciones locales. Las regulaciones de la pandemia tuvieron unimpacto diferente según islas. Las autoridades y las compañías navieras actuaron para que el público se abstuviera de visitar las islas. Esto afectó negativamente al turismo en algunas islas y positivamente en otras.Las instituciones informales que llevaron a buenas relaciones comunitarias, posibilitaron la movilización decapital social, especialmente cuando agentes activos avalados por la comunidad actuaron. La cooperaciónfue clave para reducir el impacto negativo. La accesibilidad aumentó en las islas con buena infraestructurade IT y permitió que isleños y dueños de casas de veraneo trabajaran desde sus respectivas islas. Este últimohecho creó una tendencia económica positiva sostenida en los sectores de alimentación y construcción.

This article highlights the development of modern food practices and food regulations in Sweden with special emphasis on food safety and food security from the late 19th century to 1950s. The results are linked to the wider discussion about modernization and societal change in Sweden and includes industrial organization in the agro-food sector, technological development, and the reality experienced by the population during decades that were heavily influenced by the consequences of two world wars and the rise of the welfare state. 

This article summarizes the main results of the project “Island and Archipelago Tourism during the pandemic”. The main goal of the project was to find out how the pandemic affected companies in the hospitality industry on islands and in archipelagos; which challenges they faced, and to learn from eventual future opportunities. 

Ö-samhällen kan rimligtvis antas vara extra sårbara för extern påverkan, inte minst av en sådan chock som utgjorts av Covid-19-pandemin. 

Denna rapport bygger på undersökningar som genomförts inom projektet Ö- och skärgårdsturism under pandemin, och innefattar bland annat fokusgrupper och intervjuer med företagare och representanter från en mängd svenska ö- och skärgårdsföreningar.