Rural policy in industrialized countries is currently undergoing significant change. ‘Place-based economies’, where the unique attributes and assets of individual places determine their attractiveness for particular types of activities and investments, are increasingly important for rural development. The Next Rural Economies debates the future of rural development and highlights successes and failures to inform research, policy and community action. Case studies present discussions of the current state of rural community and economic restructuring and provide research and policy directions for constructing resilient and sustainable rural economies.