Rural Transformation Through Servitization: A Qualitative Structure Approach

Rural development paradigms after the Second World War depended on a set of assumptions relevant to the mass-scale industrialization of the agricultural sector. However, most of these assumptions are now invalid and we need strategies for redesigning the industrial economic system to co-create value according to the rules of post-industrial society. To grasp better what drives today’s rural development, this book conducts an analysis of qualitative changes in economic and social life caused by a major innovation model inherent to post-industrial society - servitization.

The book aims to contribute to the scarce literature on the role of servitization in farming and rural development. It offers a conceptual and empirical understanding of the ways of servitization in agriculture and rural development, examined through the prism of an evolutionary approach based on the theory of qualitative structure. The method of qualitative structure explains why and how a switch from product-oriented business logic to service-oriented business logic happens and helps to find many new insights useful for improving farm management and socio-economic development of rural regions. It combines a systematic and evolutionary analysis of literature on servitization and agricultural production strategies with case studies of farming and territorial servitization projects implemented in Lithuania. It will be of great interest to researchers and students in the field of rural development studies, servitization and business model innovation.

Dalia Vidickiene is a chief researcher at the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, Institute of Economics and Rural Development with forty years of research experience in economics and management. Her main research interests center on rural development and regional innovation policy, servitization, strategic management, and innovative business models, including transformative tourism. She is an author and co-author of books, chapters of books, and many scholarly articles in refereed international scientific journals. She has a long time of experience in the management and coordination of international research and development projects of different EU programmes (FP6, INTERREG, PHARE, Leonardo da Vinci). Currently, she is focusing on research topics dealing with paradigm innovations, including servitization, in rural and regional development caused by the shift into post-industrial servitizated and knowledge-based economic systems.

Rita Lankauskiene is a senior researcher at the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, Institute of Economics and Rural Development. Her recent research interests are focused on social responsibility in sustainable rural and regional development, social innovations in distanced regions, modern business models, as well as their impacts on regional and global sustainable development. She is an author and co-author of more than fifty scholarly articles, chapters of books, the reviewer/board/advisory board member of the Emerald book series, referred international scientific journals and conferences. She holds expertise in the implementation of international scientific research and development projects.

Rasa Melnikiene is head of the Institute of Economics and Rural Development at the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences and chief researcher. She holds long research experience in business and economics. She specializes in rural development, financial integration in the EU and transition economies of CEE, policy on the EU financial perspectives, servitization, modern business models for rural development, and social innovations. She is an author and co-author of books, chapters of books, and many scholarly articles in refereed international scientific journals. She has rich experience in the management and coordination of international research and development projects of different EU programmes (FP6, INTERREG, PHARE, Leonardo da Vinci).

Zivile Gedminaite-Raudone is a chief researcher at the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, Institute of Economics and Rural Development. Her main research focus is sustainable regional and rural development, climate change, circular economy, innovation ecosystems, servitization and transformative tourism, among others. Zivile Gedminaite-Raudone is an author and co-author of more than forty scholarly articles, chapters of books. She has rich experience in management and coordination of many international research and development projects of different international, the EU and national programmes focusing on new knowledge creation using co-creation and cooperation principles. She actively participates in internships and exchange programmes (Italy, Belgium, Ireland), international scientific conferences with presentations, moderate sections. She is a member of the global Social Responsibility Research Network, European Rural Development Network, Eurasia Business and Economics Society.

Vitalija Simonaityte is a researcher at the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, Institute of Economics and Rural Development. Her recent research focus is sustainable regional and rural development policy, servitization of farming and modern business models, interest groups and political parties, local and regional actors. She is an author and co-author of publications in various scientific journals and research studies, also she participates in international scientific conferences (ECPR, CEPSA) and international research projects (Comparative Interest Groups Survey, CIGS; European Social Survey, ESS). She has experience in the management and coordination of rural policy planning and implementation. She had recently taken part in implementing the EU common agricultural policy planning at a national level in the field of agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (AKIS).