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Assessing the Impact of Rural Development Policies

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Improving rural development

By reviewing policies on rural development and recommending improvements, the quality of life in remote communities and underprivileged areas could be improved.

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How effective are rural development policies in helping communities and upgrading the standard of living in rural areas? The EU-funded project 'Assessing the impact of rural development policies' (RUDI) investigated the processes and results behind the evaluation of rural development to answer this question. The initiative was funded by the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) under the 'Food, agriculture and fisheries, and biotechnology' Theme. Project partners analysed the effects of policy processes to develop recommendations for policymakers at EU, national and regional levels. RUDI studied conceptual frameworks and theories on the role of rural development in Europe. It looked at processes and actors affecting policy design and implementation, as well as expenditure patterns. The project elaborated insights on the policy cycle evaluation and developed a methodology for 20 in-depth case studies conducted in different regions and themes throughout the EU. Another major achievement involved creating policy recommendations for more effective design, delivery, monitoring, impact assessment and evaluation of rural development policy. These were presented as an extended policy brief covering policy design, delivery and evaluation, in addition to challenges regarding future rural development. The project results are set to improve programme design, as well as targeting and implementation of programmes for the funding period 2013–2020. This has the potential to increase the positive impacts of rural development policies in all EU countries. The initiative was supported through direct involvement of key stakeholders and institutions in the research process, as well as cross-country analyses. Conferences, workshops, publications and online dissemination activities ensured that the project's results reached the desired target audience.

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