Given the focus of this publication, most of the works included are case studies that
address different issues related to the development of border areas: energy transition,
food sufficiency, tourism development, social capital, the balance between innovation and
tradition in primary production systems, digital economy, etc. This multitude of topics
is complemented by an enriching international perspective, derived from 14 contribu-
tions that analyze territories with heterogeneous characteristics belonging to more than
10 different countries.
Regardless of their national focus, the case studies included in this publication refer to
rural areas. It is therefore not surprising that, from their different perspectives, endogenous
rural development processes are the main object of study in many of the articles presented.
In this sense, with its frontier character, this Special Issue could be considered a second
edition of the one entitled “Rural Areas Facing the Challenge of Economic Diversification Threats and opportunities.
