Critical factors for successful implementation in LEADER approach Cover Image

Kritické faktory úspešnej implementácie v prístupe LEADER
Critical factors for successful implementation in LEADER approach

Author(s): Andrea Hradiská, Oto Hudec
Subject(s): Economy
Published by: Regionálne európske informačné centrum Banská Bystrica
Keywords: local action group; integrated strategy of the territorial development; critical success factors

Summary/Abstract: Slovak Republic, as well as the other EU Member States, has established a legislative framework for public-private partnership, to funding activities from the Rural Development Programme for the programming period 2007–2013, using so called LEADER approach. Implementation of integrated strategies of the territorial development is conditional on gathering the statute of Local Action Groups (LAGs), which is given by the managing body of the Ministry of Agriculture on a competitive basis in terms of the published call. The selection process of evaluation of the proposals has led to financing 29 LAGs. There are specific features of the LEADER approach such as involvement of local actors, bottom up approach, mobilisation of local knowledge, strengthening of the social capital, searching for flexible publicprivate partnerships, multi-actor, multi-level and multi-dimensional approach, all together expected to contribute to success in a systemic way. This approach is rather complex to understand and manage in a proper way, especially in the initial phase. Following the complexity, in the scope of the article is the evaluation of the processes of the programme, common understanding of the critical factors by both LAGs management and the paying authority and evaluation of the factors supporting or hindering the programme implementation. At the level of the LAG, there is evident the awareness of the problems at the level of relations, coordination, communication inside the MAS. This makes an apparent difference in comparison to a view of managing authority, which is focusing from its external perspective more on formal attributes, control and financial mechanisms and it is not acquainted enough with the internal situation of the LAGs. The article aims to establish a hierarchy of critical success factors of the respective projects.

  • Issue Year: 2010
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Count: 20
  • Language: Slovak