From Aurora Borealis to Carpathians. Searching the Road to Regional and Rural Development

possible visions, from superficial to radical, on the nature of, and solution to, the contemporary
environmental crisis and the relationship between humankind and nature. (Baker et al. 1997, 17-18;
O'Riordan 1996, 145-146.) Brundtland's approach to sustainable development is quite ambiguous
and neutral. These are the reasons why it is possible to incorporate elements of the four variations to
the concept of the sustainable development. (Baker et al. 1997, 17-18.)

If we take into consideration the existent rural development and regional development policies, it
would be interesting to analyse what kind of visions are behind them, what are the variations and
dimensions of sustainability included in regional and rural policies implemented in Finland and
Romania. Potential research questions are: is weak sustainability associated with top-down merely
ritualistic participation? Are ecological and economical sustainability more often present in the
public discourse than cultural and social one? What is the actual practical situation in terms of mix
between dimensions and variations of sustainability? The following table tries to picture the
alternative theoretical types.

Table 1 Sustainability Matrix

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