Productive ageing recognises the contribution of older people to economic, social and cultural growth and helps build a sustainable community. Being involved in community life is good for individuals and good for society. However, we know very little about the participation of and contribution by people aged 50 and over in rural communities. This…

Ongoing demographic, social, economic and cultural changes point to the dynamic and continually changing contexts of rural areas in Ireland and Northern Ireland. However, the influence of such changes on the lives of older people remains under-explored, particularly the question of how older people perceive, connect to and engage in their…

The proliferation of community power structure studies and their results have led many social researchers to the conclusion that the principle explanation for many diverse findings rests with the disciplinary bias of the researchers. The purpose of this study was to make some tentative effort at explaining power structure characteristics as a…

This bibliography is arranged to correspond roughly with three conceptual and one general state through which community power and decision have passed during the past two decades. The three conceptual stages concern: (1) the power and decision-making structure of the isolated, and for the most part, small community; (2) comparative studies of…