Consequences of Rural School Closures. Peripheralization in Rural Districts in Västra Götaland County, Sweden

Abstract

Schools are often the last remaining welfare institution in rural areas, serving as both educational centers and community hubs that foster community resilience and social capital. When schools close, the effects on rural communities can be significant, though they remain insufficiently explored in existing research. Additionally, there is a gap between the public perception and political decisions, where locals perceive rural schools as a vital institution, while politicians opt to close them. This in combination with the lack of comprehensive research on the subject creates an opportunity to contribute to the understanding of development in rural areas. This project therefore aimed to investigate the demographic, social, and political consequences of rural school closures in Västra Götaland County, Sweden, through the lens of peripheralization. A Difference-in-Differences (DiD) analysis of four districts, combined with semi-structured interviews with four local informants, revealed that closures have negative effects on local communities. The population change was different for each analyzed district, pointing towards that rural areas are impacted differently by closures. The social and political findings help explain these variations, pointing to differing developments in social capital, as well as feelings of powerlessness and exclusion from decision-making processes. School buildings were found to be central in maintaining social capital, and their closure, or even restricted access, threatens long-term community cohesion, particularly when child-centered activities are absent. Using the framework of peripheralization, this study presents a nuanced understanding of rural development, indicating that rural areas exhibit varying predispositions to depopulation depending on their social context and position within the urban-rural relationship.