Résumé
Introduced in the new German states in 1990, the Federal government's rural planning policy aims at improving the socioeconomic situation in areas severely hit by the transition to the market economy. Public interventions for diversifying local economic activities provide incentives for endogenous initiatives and for the development of new rural resources, in particular tourism. However, the endogenous model of local development is advancing selectively in the formerly collectivized countryside. The geography of "project areas" depends on how local communities are involved.