as well as those state institutions traditionally grouped under the heading
‘formal’ government. These ‘actors’ can operate at a variety of spatial scales, from the local to the international. Governance thus concerns the policy outcomes of networks and partnerships which legitimise, regulate and help to reproduce certain socio-economic forms. As a necessary aspect of the performance of rural SMEs, governance can be the source of emergent powers and liabilities. For example, by recognizing and legitimising private companies it provides decision-makers with official patronage,allowing them to hire employees and manufacture and market products. Conversely, it also implies a necessary liability to conform to binding measures such as the minimum wage,health and safety law and taxation in order for a business to endure.