The Role of LEADER in Smart Villages: An Opportunity to Reconnect with Rural Communities

Abstract

Over recent decades, rural areas have been facing significant challenges that exacerbate the existing discontent in their communities. These challenges are mostly reflected in depopulation trends, increased vulnerability to external shocks, and reduced quality of basic services. Local Action Groups (LAGs) all over Europe have been working on these challenges since the early 1990s. More recently, the smart villages concept is starting to generate enthusiasm among rural development stakeholders to try to revert these trends by supporting communities to move toward a more sustainable future while taking advantage of new emerging opportunities. This chapter demonstrates that the LEADER approach and its principles are also part of the smart villages concept. However, practical differences between the two emerge as a result of limitations imposed by restrictive LEADER regulatory frameworks in many member states. Our main argument is that LEADER has what is needed to be the main tool for driving smart villages in Europe as long as there is a policy framework in place that enables LEADER to exploit its full potential. This conclusion is grounded on the analysis of the role that LEADER played in a number of smart village initiatives across the EU.

Citation

Nieto, E. and Brosei, P. (2019), "The Role of LEADER in Smart Villages: An Opportunity to Reconnect with Rural Communities", Visvizi, A., Lytras, M.D. and Mudri, G. (Ed.) Smart Villages in the EU and Beyond (Emerald Studies in Politics and Technology), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 63-81. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78769-845-120191006