The university

Regional Development

It is no coincidence that Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR) has developed expertise in regional development, far from it in fact. It is the result of a longstanding tradition of research and reflection that stretches back decades. Right from the time of the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s, government authorities in Québec City and Ottawa began to see the Lower St. Lawrence region and the Gaspé Peninsula as areas that would become laboratories for social experiments in regional development.

With the multiple disciplines it brings into play and the interest it generates throughout Québec, Canada, and the rest of the world, regional development is today one of UQAR's main areas of research.

Regional Development Training and Research

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Through its Master's and PhD programs in regional development, UQAR seeks to familiarize students with the issues and problems currently facing outlying regions in a world undergoing profound social and economic change.

Better understanding of the socioterritorial dynamics affecting rural regions is vital if we are to design and offer development assistance tools.

Training

At the undergraduate level, the Bachelor's in social development and analysis of social problems is a fascinating entry point for students wishing to go on to graduate studies in this field.

With its expertise in regional development, UQAR offers a number of graduate and research programs in the field.

Campus de Rimouski

In addition to Master's and PhD programs in regional development, UQAR offers two specialized graduate diplomas (DESS), one in regional and land development, and the other in regional public administration.

Drawing on various human and social sciences, UQAR's diverse forms of interdisciplinary training explore the economic, social, historical, and geographical facets of regional development. Special attention is also given to the development problems encountered by peripheral regions, both in industrialized and emerging countries.

This multidisciplinary approach to regional development helps foster discussion and creates a supportive teaching environment for students.

UQAR's teaching and research programs in regional development have not only attracted candidates from across the province of Quebec, but also from various developing or "emerging" countries. Regional development training at UQAR has spawned a number of high caliber research units.

Research and Partnerships

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Partnership research is the favored approach of research professors in regional development. By way of example, here are three brief summaries of recent areas of research:

Rural Pacts

The implementation of rural pacts stemmed from a desire on the part of regional communities to secure their future by promoting different forms of direct intervention. Regional county municipalities (RCM) that agreed to rural pacts qualified for various government grants for projects aimed at maintaining and developing the economic, social, and cultural fabric of their communities. The impact of these rural pacts was studied by researchers in regional development, who provided a highly detailed account of this experience in local revitalization.

Social Acceptance of Wind Energy Development

As part of their efforts to support regional development along the Lower St. Lawrence and on the Gaspé Peninsula, researchers in the field have been examining the social acceptability of intensive windpower development. Is such development in the best interests of the communities directly affected by it? What are the minimum conditions that would favor social acceptance of windpower development? And which initiatives by local communities merit closer attention? The way these questions are answered could have a decisive influence on the future development of an entire region.

Youth Outmigration from the Regions

Many young people are leaving the regions in search of education and employment or to flee fragile local economies. But where do they go? What do they do? And what are the real effects of this outmigration on the regions? A recent UQAR study found that more and more young people who leave their region are returning home or settling in other regions, far away from the big cities. The same study also showed that, through their social involvement and their quest for a better quality of life, those who return to their regions of origin or decide to set up home in another region have a considerable influence on their communities. They bring a new way of looking at things and a contagious enthusiasm that give a second wind and a new lease on life to the regions.

UQAR : An Institution at the Heart of Regional Development

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Research in regional development is both basic and applied, examining not only matters of rurality, rural development, and the challenges and opportunities for sustainable development, but also the economic and demographic evolution of local and regional communities.

University researchers and community stakeholders have influenced each other's work over time. Regional concerns have spawned research projects, while the findings of such research have helped to change the way local actors regard certain problems. From this point of view, regional development training by UQAR represents a significant contribution to regional communities.