Although commonly used and relatively clearly defined in an
environmental context, the concept of sustainability tends to be rather nebulous
and confusing in the context of rural socio-economic development. In this paper it
is defined in terms of three dimensions, structure, performance and dependence.
These dimensions are assessed across three groups of socio-economic attributes,
those concerned with demographic development, those relating to economic
activity, and those associated with community and culture. The resulting
sustainability matrix is a potentially valuable tool for assessing the socio-economic
status of rural areas in developed countries. This is demonstrated by its application
to remote rural areas in Scotland. In countries such as the U.K., which have a
relatively long history of regional assistance, the true demographic and economic
sustainability constraints of remote rural areas are to a large degree obscured by
substantial transfers from more prosperous regions. This dependence is identified
as the most important dimension of rural socio-economic sustainability in the
Scottish context.