Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/10.5673/sip.54.1.4
New Actors in Rural Development - The LEADER Approach and Projectification in Rural Croatia
Aleksandar Lukić
orcid.org/0000-0002-7884-5818
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Geography, Croatia
Orlanda Obad
orcid.org/0000-0003-4383-4913
; Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
LEADER has often been praised as a successful approach to rural development,
although its implementation is not without scholarly critiques. The aim of this
paper is to contribute to the understanding of how LEADER, now in its initial phase
in Croatia, operates within the shifting local power relations in rural areas. We focus
on questions concerning the social background of the new LEADER project class,
financing, the influence of local politics and the trust and involvement of the local
population. Since factors contributing to success and failure of EU programmes have
often been attributed to their localization into a specific territorial context, among
other things, we use a regional and typological approach in selecting 10 LAGs for
conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews. The results indicate that, in relation
to the local territorial context, the differentiation between the internal and external
project classes might be useful as an analytical tool. Furthermore, we have confirmed
that there might be pitfalls in using financial criteria as the only instrument of assessment
for evaluation which disregards whether the projects implemented are inclusive
and responsive to the needs of the whole of local populace - which runs contrary
to the basic tenets of LEADER. Finally, the role of local politics has been specifically
identified in two diametrical territorial contexts (rural periphery, and more dynamic
developed areas).
Keywords
LEADER; projectification; project class; rural development; actors; Croatia
Hrčak ID:
156652
URI
Publication date:
22.4.2016.
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