Alonso et al.: How Losing Services Fuels Rural Depopulation
In How Service Exclusion Affects Rural Depopulation. An Approach Based on Structural Equation Modeling, M. Pilar Alonso (Geography, History and History of Art, Universitat de Lleida), Pilar Gargallo, Jesús A. Miguel, Manual Salvador (all Applied Economics, Universidad de Zaragoza), Luis Lample (Accounting and Finance, Universidad de Zaragoza), and Carlos López Escolano (Geography and Territorial Planning, Universidad de Zaragoza) present an analysis of rural depopulation trends in the Aragon region of Spain.
The authors focused on three main variables: presence of services (including healthcare, education, social services, commerce, restaurants and bars, and internet access), population loss, and population aging. They divided the region into six groups, with groups one and two including the most urban municipalities and groups five and six including the most rural municipalities. Groups three and four fall somewhere between the two ends of the spectrum. The authors found a significant correlation between the three variables when studying depopulation trends across the Aragon region.
The results indicate that a lack of services creates heightened emigration of young people from rural areas. This in turn lowers the reproductive and economic capabilities of the community, which contributes to both population loss and aging. The authors argue that improving service availability could mitigate some of the negative effects of rural depopulation. While improving service availability alone will not be enough to stop depopulation, it plays a key role in the issue.
However, the authors note that not every rural group within the region faces the same service exclusions. While groups five and six lack almost all services and have faced critical levels of depopulation, groups three and four have only selective service exclusions, namely education and internet access. This heterogeneity lends itself to the need for specifically tailored intervention strategies to address the diverse realities of rural areas.
The authors plan to use their research as a model for future studies to develop a nuanced understanding of rural depopulation issues beyond the Aragon region. They also hope that the study will help policymakers craft policy initiatives with an eye towards localized factors driving depopulation.
