Social Networks and Rural Development: LEADER in Romania

Networking is an inherent part of the European Union (EU) programme Liaison entre actions de développement de l'économie rurale (LEADER): through supporting local partnerships, EU-wide cooperation and information exchange, LEADER aims at strengthening the socioeconomic development of rural regions and improving local governance. Employing Social Network Analysis, we assess how key LEADER features, such as the bottom-up and the participatory approach, are implemented in a new EU Member State. Focusing on the relevance of social networks for LEADER in Romania, we find that the complexity of the programme, weak administrative networks, political influence, and heritage of the socialist era inhibit the smooth introduction of the LEADER instrument. Clearly, founding formal partnerships and better governance remain generally challenging. While bottom-up regional networks can more easily establish social capital, initiatives steered by the communal administration are more competitive in the selection for funding, but tend to neglect participation.