Distant but Vibrant Places. Local Determinants of Adaptability to Peripherality

Against the discourse according to which peripheral areas are places doomed to an inevitable fate of constant demographic decline, the aim of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the local determinants fostering adaptability to prolonged challenges connected to a condition of peripherality. Exploiting the classification produced within the Italian National Strategy for Inner Areas, we investigate the determinants of positive demographic long-term growth paths of Italian peripheral municipalities using population variation as the dependent variable in a spatially deep lagged model relying on census data from 1971 to 2011. Our longitudinal study provides evidence on the positive effects of demographic and labour-skills related factors on population dynamics, that may prove to be crucial in supporting policymakers when formulating place-sensitive strategies to enhance the adaptive capability of places in the face of long-term slow-burning pressures.