New industrial path development in “less glamorized regions”: actors, agencies, and rural opportunities

Abstract

This article analyses the case of the wine industry in rural Nova Scotia (Canada) and addresses the following question: what sparks a new wine industry path in rural regions that lack supportive preconditions and local assets? We examine this from the perspective of different actors and their agencies when creating the conditions and structures for shaping new path development. Our findings provide a novel, empirically based understanding of individual and system-level agency and a nuanced account of new industrial path development in rural regions, which is often missing in contemporary debates.