Policy mixes in rural areas: a scoping literature review

While public policy guidelines emphasise the need to consider sustainability issues as interconnected, policymakers often focus on specific problem areas. The concept of “policy mix” was introduced to highlight that adopting a single policy instrument is insufficient for effective territorial development and socio-technical transition. Starting with the need to foster a transition to sustainability and considering the synergies of a policy mix and the fundamental role of rural areas, this study aimed to explore the existing literature to determine the main topics on policy mixes in rural areas, the commonly used methodologies, the key features of policy mixes, and the suggested future research directions. This study was conducted using a scoping literature review and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology; it included 78 articles. This review revealed important gaps, such as the lack of ex-post evaluations of policies and assessments of governance impacts on policy mix implementation. This paper contributes to advancing the literature by helping the scientific community and policymakers understand the importance of implementing policy mixes.