Establishing Criteria for the Evaluation of Modernization and (Post-)Transition Processes in Croatian Rural Areas Through a Case Study of the Rural Lika Area

The aim of the project is to establish ideal-type interdisciplinary criteria for evaluating modernisation and (post-)transition processes in Croatian rural areas based on a case study of the rural Lika area. The proposed subject will be studied by employing contemporary modernization theories and development theories, in which an innovative approach to methodology based on mixed methods will be used. The topic that will be researched is the effect of (delayed) modernization and (post-)transition processes on Croatian rural areas. These processes shall be studied by analysing historical sources, demographic data, economic indicators and through a qualitative research: by conducting two hundred semi-structured interviews (microethnography – four stages of research in two rounds) at the national level. The project is based on the assumption that known and scientifically evaluated negative modernization and (post-)transition processes of a concrete rural area can serve as a laboratory for studying other rural areas, both the areas in which the mentioned process have significantly developed, and those areas whose basic indicators are positive. Therefore, the results of the project shall be relevant with regard to development policies and they are expected to significantly contribute to the socio-economic development of Croatian rural areas.