Evaluation workshop: assessing LEADER added value
- CAP Implementation
- Evaluation
- CAP Strategic Plans
- Evaluation
- Evaluation elements
- Evaluation Findings
- Evaluation Methods
- Evaluation Plan
- Evaluation Processes
- Impact Evaluation
- Indicators
- LEADER
- Long-term Vision for Rural Areas
- Monitoring
- Networking
- Ongoing Evaluation
- Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (PMEF)
- Rural Development
- Self Assessment
- Smart Villages
- Social Inclusion
- Socio-economic Impacts
- Sustainability
- Targets & Milestones
LEADER stakeholders from around Europe met in Luxembourg last month to share practices on how to assess LEADER added value.
LEADER stakeholders from around Europe met in Luxembourg last month at the Good Practice Workshop to share practices on how to assess LEADER added value. Outcomes provided specialised insights on evaluation elements and methodologies pertinent to this topic that are feeding into new guidelines for assessing the added value of LEADER, under preparation by a thematic working group from the European Evaluation Helpdesk for the CAP.
Monitoring and evaluation provide vital management information for Local Action Groups (LAGs) and other LEADER stakeholders. The workshop discussed evaluation frameworks and indicators specific to assess the added value of LEADER. Within this overall context, the workshop of the Evaluation Helpdesk was dedicated to strengthening the framework for assessing the added value of LEADER.
Three core components commonly comprise the added value of LEADER.
- Improved social capital, which is a multidimensional concept that includes features of social organisation such as networks, norms and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit. The elements of improved social capital include networks, mutual trust, shared mental models and beliefs that facilitate the quality of collaboration and cooperation within and among LEADER areas.
- Improved governance, including local and multi-level processes and mechanisms that ensure effective and transparent implementation of the LEADER method, contributing to bringing the EU closer to citizens. Local governance in LEADER refers to processes and mechanisms established, coordinated and animated by the LAG to ensure participatory, transparent, and inclusive decision-making and strong community engagement in strategy development and implementation. Multi-level governance in LEADER refers to processes and mechanisms established collaboratively between the Managing Authority, paying agency, regional authorities and LAGs, based on EU-level standards, to empower LAGs, enhance their decision-making, management and accountability capacities, and promote responsive, innovative, and tailored local development strategies.
- Enhanced results and impacts of programme/strategy implementation when applying the LEADER method for addressing local needs and contributing to the EU/ national/regional CAP policy objectives. Enhanced results and impacts imply mobilising endogenous potential, valorising territorial assets, and strengthening links between local actors to achieve more with available resources and foster innovative, sustainable and integrated, community-driven projects that drive lasting structural changes in the LAG area.
The workshop provided opportunities for Managing Authorities, LAGs, National CAP Networks, evaluators and other CAP evaluation stakeholders to share practical examples, experience, and ideas about the evaluation of the added value of LEADER in this framework of social capital, governance, and enhanced results.
Participants also pooled their expertise to consider optimal data collection approaches for monitoring and evaluating LEADER added value. The importance of baseline data was underlined alongside the need for simplicity as well as consistency across LAGs and countries.
See the workshop webpage for all the event information including its presentations.
