Peripheral areas: conceptualizations and policies. Introduction and editorial note

The aim of this Special Issue is to further our understanding of development policies and their relevance in relation to European peripheral areas, by presenting some empirical studies that investigate different aspects of these mechanisms. The definition of what a peripheral area is entails the reference to multi-layered concepts, whose connotations are often not sufficiently problematized in the policy-making process. Therefore, in this introductory editorial, the two editors present a conceptual framework to study peripherality based on its “relational” character, on the one side, and investigate the typologies of policy instruments used to address developmental issues in peripheral areas, on the other. The studies presented in this Special Issue, which is the first of two, assuming a trans-disciplinary, policy-oriented perspective, focus on different aspects of development issues in European marginal, low-accessibility areas. Together they help shedding light on challenges faced by these territories, highlighting the viability and potential pitfalls of their pathways to development.