LEADER local action groups and inner areas. An Italian case study

Area of Science:

• Rural Development Studies
• Social Innovation
• Regional Economics

Background:

• European rural areas face marginality challenges.
• EU policies aim to stimulate local development, social innovation, and economic growth.
• Understanding policy interactions is crucial for effective rural development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate marginality in European rural areas.
• To assess how EU local development policies can foster social innovation and economic growth.
• To analyze the interplay between the LEADER programme and the Inner Area Strategy.

Main Methods:

• Social Network Analysis (SNA) applied to call tenders.
• Case study of an Italian Local Action Group (LAG) in the Piacentino and Parmense Apennine (Emilia-Romagna).
• Examination of the LEADER programme and the Inner Area Strategy implementation.

Main Results:

• The study identifies key actors and network structures within the LEADER programme.
• Analysis reveals potential complementarities and overlaps between the LEADER programme and the Inner Area Strategy.
• SNA highlights how policy implementation influences social innovation and economic growth in rural areas.

Conclusions:

• EU policies, like LEADER and Inner Area Strategy, can be leveraged to address rural marginality.
• Effective policy integration is essential for maximizing social innovation and economic growth.
• SNA provides valuable insights into the dynamics of rural development policy implementation.