Rural policies and the role of NGOs in rural development

1
Rural policies and the role of NGOs in rural
development

• Gusztáv Nemes
• nemes_at_econ.core.hu
• www.policy.hu/nemes
• Hungarian Academy of Sciences
• Hungarian Rural Parliament
• PREPARE Gathering and Travelling Workshop
• 2-8th October 2005 Latvia and Lithuania

2
Rural development is

• external (central) intervention - to protect
  the loss of rural values during Europeanisation
  through rules, financial aid, rural policies in
  general
• internal - aspiration of local people - to
  improve their own lives through unlocking local
  resources and attracting external ones, searching
  for new futures in their own area

3
1. Central-administrative system of rural
development

• Based on top-down intervention of the political
  centre
• Comprises of EU and domestic policies, centrally
  redistributed resources, strategic development
  plans, bureaucratic knowledge, central rules,
  high level interest groups, etc.
• Institutionalised character (with written
  procedures)
• Central development logic (modernist paradigm)
• Main aim is to provide access and a peaceful
  environment for the development for the economic
  centre, quantifiable results

4
2. Local-heuristic system

• Based on endogenous bottom-up processes
• Comprises of local actors and values local
  development plans social networks and kinship
  relations local authorities, innovative
  individuals, development associations and
  partnerships, etc.
• Low level of institutionalisation
• Local development logic (new development
  paradigm)
• Main aim is to improve local life, giving
  flexible responses to external challenges,
  keeping benefits for the locality
• Improve the quality of rural life - how people
  feel

5
Human actors

• Local heuristic system
• Local leaders, entrepreneurs, everyday people
• Their work effects their lives they risk their
  own money
• Insightful knowledge on local matters, but often
  little understanding of central rules
• Very committed and less objective
• Central-administrative system
• Politicians, high level public servants, etc.
• Deal with others life, do not risk their own
  money
• Insightful knowledge of bureaucratic rules but
  low information on local
• Main concern is to comply with the political
  centre, accountability, transparency

6
Central and local

• are equally important
• should work in co-operation/integrated
• BUT
• do not understand each other

7
Solution

• Institutionalisation
• Formalised, legitimate NGOs
• and their networks
• required!!!

8
Role of NGOs in Rural Development
C
A
P
A
C
Reg\nat network
I
T
LAGs
Y
Formal NGOs
B
U
Informal local networks
I
L
D
No local activity
I
N
G
9
Local Development Group I.
P
P
P
M
P
A
A
P
P
P
10
Local Development Group II.
P
P
P
P
M
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
11
Local Development Group I.
P
P
P
M
P
A
A
P
P
P