Rural industrialisation is a complex phenomenon.
For example, despite involving the physical
decentralisation of firms from urban centres
(Gould & Keeble 1984), much of the so-called
urban-rural ‘shift’ can be put down to spatial
variations in in situ manufacturing performance
(Fothergill et al. 1985a). In addition, although
sometimes characterised by developments in
‘big business’ (Potter 1993, 1995), the urbanrural
shift has tended to involve small manufacturing
firms rather than larger corporations.
The influence of rural industrialisation has also
been felt in a wide variety of rural spaces. For
instance, it has left its mark in both accessible
and remote areas (Hodge & Monk 1987;
Townsend 1993; North & Smallbone 1996); and
it has affected established rural industrial districts
as well as those ‘new industrial spaces’ left
relatively untouched by previous rounds of
manufacturing investment (Jarvis et al. 2001).