This book addresses the role of social capital in promoting rural and local development. The recent financial and economic crises have exposed the European Union (EU) to an increased risk of social exclusion and poverty, which are now at the heart of its economic, employment and social agenda with explicit reference to rural and marginal areas (Europe 2020). The authors' work from the notion that rural development is not imposed from the ‘outside’, but depends also on endogenous factors, namely local cultural and ecological amenities, eco-system services, and economic links with urban areas which expand rural opportunities for innovation, competitiveness, employment and sustainable development.
Social capital is of paramount importance because it helps build networks and trusting relations among local stakeholders in the public and private spheres, and supporting the enhancement of governance of natural resources in rural areas
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Part I Social Capital and Local Development in European Rural Areas: A Conceptual Framework |
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1 Introduction: Motivation, Aim and Contributions |
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3 | (20) |
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2 Social Capital: Intuition, Precept, Concept and Theory |
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23 | (20) |
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3 Social Capital and Local Development in European Rural Areas: Theory and Empirics |
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43 | (18) |
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4 Social Capital and Rural Development in Europe: A Geographical Perspective |
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61 | (22) |
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5 Social Capital, Network Governance and Social Innovation: Towards a New Paradigm? |
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83 | (26) |
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Part II A Methodological Approach to the Evaluation of the LEADER Initiative |
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6 Evaluation of Social Capital in LEADER: What's In and What's Out? |
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109 | (26) |
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7 Evaluation of Social Capital in LEADER: From Theory to Practice |
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135 | (40) |
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8 Social Capital and the LEADER Approach: A Statistical Method for the Evaluation of Local Action Groups |
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175 | (26) |
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9 Indicators Proposed for the Evaluation of Social Capital in Local Action Groups |
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201 | (28) |
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Part III LEADER and Social Capital: A Comparative Analysis and Discussion |
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10 Practicing Social Capital in Local Development: How the Method Applies to Real-World Cases |
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229 | (26) |
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11 Evaluation of Structural and Normative-Cognitive Social Capital and Related Governance Aspects at Different Levels of Aggregation Across Regions and LAGs |
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255 | (26) |
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12 Regional Comparisons: A Discussion on Social Capital and Local Development |
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281 | (24) |
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Part IV LEADER and Social Capital: Regional Case Studies |
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13 LEADER and Social Capital in Veneto: The Case Studies of Prealpi e Dolomiti and Bassa Padovana Local Action Groups |
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305 | (22) |
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14 LEADER and Social Capital in Umbria: The Case Studies of Valle Umbra e Sibillini and Ternano Local Action Groups |
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327 | (18) |
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15 LEADER and Social Capital in Apulia: The Case Studies of Gargano and Meridaunia Local Action Groups |
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345 | (16) |
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16 LEADER and Social Capital in Basilicata: The Case Studies of COSVEL and Basento Camastra Local Action Groups |
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361 | (16) |
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17 LEADER and Social Capital in Sardinia: The Case Study of the Sulcis Iglesiente Capoterra E Campidano Di Cagliari Local Action Group |
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377 | (18) |
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Part V Conclusions and Policy Recommendations |
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18 Innovative Elements of the Proposed Evaluation Method and Indications for Improving Monitoring and Evaluation Activities in Rural Development Policy |
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395 | (22) |
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19 What Future for LEADER as a Catalyst of Social Innovation? |
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417 | (22) |
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| Appendix 1 |
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439 | (12) |
| Appendix 2 |
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451 | (14) |
| Appendix 3 |
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465 | (12) |
| Appendix 4 |
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477 | (14) |
| Appendix 5 |
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491 | (6) |
| Author Index |
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497 | (8) |
| Subject Index |
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Elena Pisani is Assistant Professor of Principles of Economics, Project Planning and Evaluation for Local and Sustainable Development at the University of Padova, Italy.
Laura Secco is Associate Professor in Forest Policy and Governance and in Environmental and Social Responsibility in Local Development Processes at the University of Padova, Italy.
Giorgio Franceschetti is Emeritus Professor of Economics, Rural Planning and Development Cooperation at the University of Padova, Italy.
Asimina Christoforou is Adjunct Professor of International and European Economic Studies at the Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece.
