Abstract
The proposed method for the evaluation of the endowment of social capital in LEADER has been developed following different sequential steps. In this chapter, we show that this stepwise process can be applied to European Local Action Groups (LAGs), it can be used for comparing values across indicators for both monitoring and evaluation, and the results obtained can unveil the intervention logic of “social capital” at different steps of aggregation. As promised in the introductory chapters of the book, we show the steps taken for opening the “black box” and identify how this method fits within the 2014–2020 programming period and specifically contributes highlighting the value added of LEADER.
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Notes
- 1.
Admittedly, the UK constitutes a peculiar case in the post-Brexit referendum era.
- 2.
In the first case, the LAG has a very limited decisional role and a limited set of duties and responsibilities as defined in the RDP. Tasks are limited to the selection of a limited number of measures and a reduced possibility to propose innovative interventions within the LDS. In the second case, the LAG has specific capacities to manage different administrative procedures but it still has limited autonomy in determining local trajectories for development, limiting the impacts of its strategic intervention. In the third case, the LAG has full capacity and role in decision-making processes – as clearly envisaged in the European legislation – and is completely autonomous in the definition of the LDS. Practically speaking, a higher level of technical competences allows the LAG a higher level of devolution of administrative and control functions by a MA. In the fourth case, the MAs grant LAGs opportunities to develop innovative strategies based on new and untried projects, while specific measures of the RDP are designed to suit the needs of the LAG (Di Napoli, 2015).
- 3.
The EU advocates different functional roles for local public institutions and, in the case of LEADER, calls for a public-private partnership where neither the private nor the public has a dominant decisional role within the Assembly. Consequently, the classical top-down approach of public institutions based on command-control instruments are reshaped in the case of LEADER by using a more democratic stance supported by a bottom-up approach, and by promoting horizontal relations with local stakeholders.
- 4.
The evaluation is defined as the “judgement of interventions according to their results, impacts and needs they aim to satisfy. The main purposes are as follows: to contribute to the design of interventions, including providing input for setting political priorities; to assist in an efficient allocation of resources; to improve the quality of the intervention; to report on the achievements of the intervention (i.e., accountability)” (European Commission, 2007). The evaluation results are expected to be used by policy-makers and planners in order to reform the existing interventions, to support their choices in the next strategic orientations, and in the allocation of budgetary resources. These last elements enlighten the importance of the evaluation process that is – in other words – an information process based on key questions to be answered in a clear, concise and reliable way and in a timely manner. Indicators are a central part of the evaluation process, and their accurate definition and precise measurement help in the evaluation of the intervention logic and its ability to reach improvements in the quality of life.
- 5.
This refers to the public-private partnership inherent in LAGs, how partners are involved and how LAGs make decisions and work. The way the partnership principle is applied by LAGs at the RDP or LDS levels can be worth investigating further through monitoring and/or evaluation.
References
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Pisani, E., Christoforou, A., Burlando, C., Da Re, R., Franceschetti, G. (2017). Practicing Social Capital in Local Development: How the Method Applies to Real-World Cases. In: Pisani, E., Franceschetti, G., Secco, L., Christoforou, A. (eds) Social Capital and Local Development. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54277-5_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54277-5_10
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