New IFUL REPORT: Local Action Groups in Denmark 2008
This is one of the first European reports on the initial experiences from establishing Local Action Groups (LAGs) within EU’s programme 2007-2013 for the development of rural and coastal areas.
Local action groups in rural and coastal areas 2008 –
composition, activities and cooperation in the initial period
by PhD fellow Annette Aagaard Thuesen
and research assistant Jens Fyhn Lykke Sørensen
The report is commissioned by the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries.
English summary
The research is based on a questionnaire that in June 2008 was distributed to LAG board members as well as LAG managers. All in all, 500 (exactly) responses were received from 64.5% of the board members and 90.2% of the managers. The results indicate that the organizing of LAG is still being developed: on a whole, many board members find the work interesting and challenging and that good projects are being developed, but at the same time they experience a relatively traditional working method, where it can be difficult to incorporate larger parts of the members from the specific LAG district. Also, they experience certain obstacles in the work, e.g. in the programme’s set of rules.
Besides documenting some imbalance in the composition of LAG boards: only 29% are women and 69% of all responders are older than 50, the report offers a number of remarkable results, e.g. that the general level of education is higher in the traditional peripheral areas. Seen from a European perspective, it is also interesting that board members representing public authorities are only 14%, despite the Danish definition to avoid public over-representation is 30%.
The analysis is first and foremost a survey of experiences from the LAG work so far and does not include actual recommendations for the continuing work. However, the analysis will be a point of departure for more research in the future.
The report is financed by the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, and the European Fisheries Fund.
For more information, please contact PhD fellow Annette Aagaard Thuesen: tel. +45 6550 4225 – email: aat@sam.sdu.dk.
composition, activities and cooperation in the initial period
by PhD fellow Annette Aagaard Thuesen
and research assistant Jens Fyhn Lykke Sørensen
The report is commissioned by the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries.
English summary
The research is based on a questionnaire that in June 2008 was distributed to LAG board members as well as LAG managers. All in all, 500 (exactly) responses were received from 64.5% of the board members and 90.2% of the managers. The results indicate that the organizing of LAG is still being developed: on a whole, many board members find the work interesting and challenging and that good projects are being developed, but at the same time they experience a relatively traditional working method, where it can be difficult to incorporate larger parts of the members from the specific LAG district. Also, they experience certain obstacles in the work, e.g. in the programme’s set of rules.
Besides documenting some imbalance in the composition of LAG boards: only 29% are women and 69% of all responders are older than 50, the report offers a number of remarkable results, e.g. that the general level of education is higher in the traditional peripheral areas. Seen from a European perspective, it is also interesting that board members representing public authorities are only 14%, despite the Danish definition to avoid public over-representation is 30%.
The analysis is first and foremost a survey of experiences from the LAG work so far and does not include actual recommendations for the continuing work. However, the analysis will be a point of departure for more research in the future.
The report is financed by the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, and the European Fisheries Fund.
For more information, please contact PhD fellow Annette Aagaard Thuesen: tel. +45 6550 4225 – email: aat@sam.sdu.dk.