At the beginning of the 2000s, both rural trade, schools and nursing homes disappeared from Häradsbäck in Älmhult municipality.
But in 2020 it looks different.
Now there is a meeting place with a shop, a café, a library and an activity park.
And several families have chosen to move to the resort.
Malin Tillman is a professor at Linnaeus University and has in her research project "Entrepreneurship for socio-ecological change in the countryside" chosen Häradsbäck as an example where a clear entrepreneurship has reversed the development and stopped the population decline.
- Many sparsely populated areas have struggled with a declining population and must find a way to deal with it.
And then there are communities like Häradsbäck where services and activities have been started that attract people here, says Malin Tillman.
Important with good service
According to Malin Tillman, good service in a locality is an important prerequisite for getting started entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship.
- That there is housing and that there is a country store, petrol station and other community services.
It is extremely important for sustainable entrepreneurship.
In the clip above, you can hear Malin Tillman tell more about the research and what is important to reverse the development in small towns like Häradsbäck.