Paper long abstract:

Critical perspectives on 'development' have pointed out the hierarchical relations and meanings it implies. This paper focuses on social representations of development entailed in EU programs for 'less favourite areas'. The discussion is based on ethnographic research accomplished in highland Epirus, a region involved in development issues since the II post-world period. The paper investigates the local perceptions of (continuously) unfulfilled 'development' in relation to the EU context. Recent rural development programs are affecting in various ways the local economy based on small-scale livestock farming. The close end of subsidized agriculture and the uncertainties of the 'post-productivist transition' complicate local farmers' prospects, not always able to cope with the new situation. Although tourism has not yet reached the area, significant changes in the use of spaces have been brought about by the regular presence of city dwellers native from the villages.