Social Networks and Rural Development: LEADER in Romania

Abstract

Networking is an inherent part of the European Union (EU) programme Liaison entre actions de développement de l'économie rurale 1 (LEADER): through supporting local partnerships, EU-wide cooperation and information exchange, LEADER aims at strengthening the socioeconomic development of rural regions and improving local governance. Employing Social Network Analysis, we assess how key LEADER features, such as the bottom-up and the participatory approach, are implemented in a new EU Member State. Focusing on the relevance of social networks for LEADER in Romania, we find that the complexity of the programme, weak administrative networks, political influence, and heritage of the socialist era inhibit the smooth introduction of the LEADER instrument. Clearly, founding formal partnerships and better governance remain generally challenging. While bottom-up regional networks can more easily establish social capital, initiatives steered by the communal administration are more competitive in the selection for funding, but tend to neglect participation.

Rural innovation activities as a means for changing development perspectives An assessment of more than two decades of promoting LEADER initiatives across the European Union

“…However, this is the part that is still only weakly developed and deserves more attention (Marquardt et al, 2012). Again, the example of the above-mentioned LAG Steirisches Vulkanland indicates the potential for trans-national cooperation and the changes acquired through international cooperation activities (Kah, 2015).…”

Tracing shift in Czech rural development paradigm (Reflections of Local Action Groups in the media)

“…They are afraid that such contradiction will harm their own investment strategies. (Marquardt et al 2012). The distrust to territorial strategies developed by LAGs indicates a low level of social capital which should be, contrary, supported by the LEADER approach.…”

“…Voluntary participation in the local organizations (such as a LAG) supports the creation of a coherent community which is the most visible form of the existence of social capital. Studies (Furmankiewicz et al 2010;Lošťák and Hudečková 2010;Ray 2000;Shucksmith 2000;Marquardt et al 2012) demonstrate that the local action groups are based on social capital. Lopolito et doi: 10.17221/102/2015-AGRICECON al.…”

“…In many cases, there were projects where the cooperation of the local action groups was only understood as a way to get money without any real cooperation of the actors involved (Čermák and Vobecká et al 2011). Such approach to the LAGs results from the historically experienced behaviour, or inactivity, where people in the former Soviet type regime countries learned to passively wait for the decisions made at the higher levels (Marquardt et al 2012;Swain 2013). Local action groups as well as the endogenous development model suppose active actors searching for the support in the territory where they act.…”

“…It means that the LAGs address the main problem in the countryside -the low capacity of local people to be involved in influencing their conditions of life. The LAGs contribute to strengthening the social capital which is an important factor for the development of the locality (Putnam 1993) and the LEADER with LAGs is an approached built upon social capital (Marquardt et al 2012).…”