Lessons of best practice in rural development: is there a pan-European consensus?

This paper analyses expert attitudes to managing rural development in both established (EU15) and New Member States (NMS). It draws on case studies of five regions in the EU15 that have undergone, at least in some respects, successful rural development post-accession. Lessons of best practice were identified from interviews and supporting documentation, and verified / refined using a policy Delphi exercise. The results highlight the importance of creating appropriate national and regional structures to implement EU funded projects, capacity building, decentralisation, social capital and networking, and the role of “institutional memory”.