One of the research fields at CERUM is focussing structural issues in sparsely populated regions. The studies are covering a wide range of aspects. One category is oriented towards description and analysis of the objective reality in this type of areas in terms of demographic structure and change, accessibility aspects, economic activities, relationships and competitiveness, income, education, social standard and segregation. Another category of studies is highlighting the subjective reality among the people in terms of attitudes, lifestyles and entrepreneurial ambitions. This working paper by Örjan Pettersson belongs to the first category of studies and is based on a paper presented at the PIMA98 conference in Aberdeen, Scotland (26-29 June 1998). The participation at the conference was supported by a grant from The Gösta Skoglund International Foundation. The paper has been published in proceedings from the conference (Gourlay, D. ed., 1999, Marginal Rural Areas in the New Millenium). An earlier version in Swedish, “Glesbygd i regionala kraftfält”, has been published in Westlund, H. ed., 1998, Regional utveckling i lokala och globala kraftfält. SIR-rapport 106.