Sustainability of Local and Rural Development: Challenges of Extremely Deprived Communities

Abstract

Abstract Sustainability of Local and Rural Development brings about various and numerous types of challenges. The population demographic trend, together with isolation and poorly accessible locations, problems with infrastructure and economic status and safety of residents depict a local need and potential alike for integrated intervention. The challenge of extremely deprived communities characterized by a sum of marginalization factors determines collaborative actions directed to enhancing the situation of those deprived and lowering the impact on larger communities. To do so, ex-ante analyses on the ground are needed to have a stronger understanding of local social issue. Present study objective was to measure the indicators of marginalization for a small community in rural area of Romania, Mures County, so that local authority and other public and private actors to have data available to further design adapted social, educational and occupational services. Data shown that the small community has a very high degree of marginalization, with extremely high rates of unemployment and a critical housing situation, and interventions are needed on long-term basis to reduce the risk of poverty and exclusion.