In this wide-ranging paper Robert Lukesch goes back to the precursors of Leader and looks at each stage of its evolution, highlighting the complex principles behind this approach (“more than the seven features and usual clichés”) and discussing success factors. He takes us to the current CLLD/Leader period and looks at what lies ahead. He debates whether CLLD/Leader has become … [Read more...]
LEADER in the witness box: Hearing in the European Parliament
On 22 November 2018, the AGRI Committee, together with the CONT (Budgetary Control) Committee of the European Parliament held a Public Hearing on LEADER experiences - lessons learned and effectiveness of EU funds for rural development. The aim was to evaluate how the LEADER programme had worked over the past, what its added value was and how it could be improved in the … [Read more...]
CLLD post-2020: Main proposals and changes
The proposals of the European Commission regarding Community-led Local Development (CLLD) and Leader were published before the Summer. In the following note Urszula Budzich-Tabor distils the main proposals and offers a comparison with the 2014-2020 period. However, not everything is 100% settled and, as Jean-Pierre Vercruysse has commented, there are some proposals in the … [Read more...]
Preserving the specific features of CLLD post-2020
In May 2018, the European Commission published its proposals for CLLD/LEADER in the post-2020 period. The overall impression is that these proposals, broadly speaking, amount to a continuation of the approach and rules applying to CLLD/LEADER in the current, 2014-2020 period. But as already noted by Robert Lukesch in his 'LEADER RELOADED' paper, there will be a fundamental … [Read more...]
The future of local development in the EU: Where do you stand?
Already many interesting ideas and proposals are coming out on the future of local development as seen and supported by EU policies and funds. They offer reflections on both the long experience of LEADER (from the days of the ‘community initiatives’ to the mainstreaming of LEADER) and the lessons from the much shorter experience of applying CLLD in rural, urban and coastal … [Read more...]
Showing the added value of LEADER/CLLD through evaluation
This good practice workshop is organised by the European Evaluation Helpdesk for Rural Development in collaboration with the Finnish National Rural Network and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. It will take place on 17-18 May 2018 in Helsinki, Finland. This workshop aims to: contribute to shaping a common understanding of the addedvalue of LEADER/CLLD and its … [Read more...]
16th Summer Academy – “Resilient communities: pillars of sustainable rural development”
The Euracademy Association and the South and East Cork Area Development Partnership organise the 16th Summer Academy entitled “Resilient communities: pillars of sustainable rural development”. The Summer Academy this year will be held in Cork, Ireland, and the surrounding area, from 3rd to 8th September 2017. The theme: How can rural communities become more resilient and face … [Read more...]
Evaluating CLLD: new guidance
The European Evaluation Helpdesk for Rural Development has published guidelines on the evaluation of LEADER/CLLD. This is a non-binding document, which serves to complement the legal requirements relating to LEADER/CLLD evaluations. The document clarifies the common elements related to LEADER/CLLD evaluations and gives a wider set of recommendations on how to formulate and … [Read more...]
Bibliography on local development
ADE, (2009) “Ex post evaluation of cohesion policy programmes 2000-2006 cofinanced by the European Fund for Regional Development (Objectives 1 and 2) – Work package 5b: Environment and Climate Change”, June 2009, http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/evaluation/pdf/expost2006/wp5b_ first_interim_report.pdf Abrahmson and Fombrum, (1994) “Macro culture: … [Read more...]
Participatory evaluation of local development
Jela Tvrdonova The evaluation of rural development policies - in compliance with the EU Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework is the process of the assessment of the public and private funds intervention according its results, impacts and needs, which shall be satisfied. The evaluation deals with the effectiveness, efficiency and relevance of the intervention logic and … [Read more...]
Local Development, LDnet and the Ebook: An Overview
The Local Development Ebook has many innovative aspects, ranging from its all-encompassing look at local development to its method of development and production: What we understand by “local development” and the “local development approach”? - The “European Model” - Working definition and scope of LD - LDnet and the aims of the e-book - The development and production of the … [Read more...]
LD in Ireland: From innovation to stagnation … but what next in times of crisis?
This paper reviews the experience of local development in Ireland. It describes the origins and evolution of local development and its “institutionalisation” and mainstreaming in public policy and describes and reviews recent changes. It identifies conclusions and lessons from experiences of local development, current issues and future challenges: State Support for Local … [Read more...]