Speaking about the rural space, either at national or local level (regional or community) we can not fail to discuss its importance not only in terms of spatial dimension, but especially the specific characteristics of each area. .
The issue of rural space has been and still is the subject of heated discussions at national level, but especially at community level, the differences between the two levels - national versus community - still remain significant, both in terms of economic performance generated by this area, but especially of the existing behavioral and cultural differences.
13 years after joining the European Union and 30 years since 1989, the Romanian rural area faces a series of dysfunctions, related either to the requirements of permanent adaptation to European rigors, or to the slow implementation of efficient development programs, correlated, in some cases, with the resistance to change of the inhabitants of rural areas, the resistance coming, in most cases, from the specific behavioral models, but also from the awareness of the effect of the measures applied by the decision-makers.
The choice of this theme, with applicability at the regional level, was given by the fact that the South Muntenia region is one of the largest regions of Romania, being, compared to other development regions, both in terms of economic performance and and structural dysfunctions, on the second or third position in the national economy.
The importance of this work is given by the certainty that the complex sustainable development of the rural area of this region, including agriculture and other branches of the national economy, will have to be done in accordance with global values, traditions and perceptions (economic, social, ecological , cultural, etc.).
Viewed in a more or less close perspective, uncertain still considering the "performance" and "efficiency" of the indicator systems that characterize the rural area of the South Muntenia region, the complex sustainable development can be seen as a framework scheme to address the surrounding reality. , but also in terms of the relationship between human society and the environment, as a balance between the economic and socially legitimate needs of the population and the environment.
In the context of the above, the purpose of this paper is to identify local development alternatives, developed based on operational criteria, based on public information support. The motivation for establishing this objective lies in the coexistence, of regional level, of some counties with different characteristics, both from the point of view of the degree of rurality, of the geographical location, but also of the nature of the activities carried out (mono or several activities).
Specifically, in achieving the aggregate objective of the paper, the following were considered:
• Conceptual aspects regarding the rural space and its complex development;
• The spatial dimension of the rural space of the South Muntenia region;
• Evolutions and structural changes occurred at the level of the main component systems;
• Identifying criteria and alternatives for sustainable development.
Structured in five chapters, one dedicated to conclusions and proposals, we believe that this paper, both through theoretical documentation and analysis can complete the existing study fund and can provide all factors involved in implementing economic and social policy measures relevant information at the level of the analyzed localities. Also, the way of approaching this issue can be a starting point in conducting similar analyzes at the level of other local rural communities.
The attempt to build alternatives for the development of the rural space is hit, however, most of the times by the limited informational support at the level of the rural community. Thus, national statistics provide, with few exceptions, aggregate information either at the level of areas of residence or at the county level, which prevents the realization of an extremely rigorous analysis on each rural community.
Moreover, the time periods for which statistical data are available are different, which in some cases requires their adjustment.
The national information support is also complemented by statistics at Community level which provide aggregated information, in some cases up to NUTS 3 level. However, based on the available information, working criteria and assumptions can be established, as a basis for identifying alternatives for local development, starting mainly from the current state of economic, social and environmental indicators.
Combining established statistical working methods (such as comparisons, structures, dynamics, etc.) with those due to the transformation of some primary indicators into aggregate indicators, based on some models found in the specialized literature, they come to bring an extra rigor and clarity of the obtained results. Moreover, the option to use the predominantly tabular representation of the obtained results lies in the need to capture the overall evolution of the rural area of the South Muntenia region, with visual and complete highlighting of the analyzed data series.