Capacity building, governance and
knowledge – rural regional learning
DERREG Final meeting October 12-14, 2011
Murska Sobota, Slovenia
Dirk Roep & Wiebke Wellbrock
Wageningen University
DERREG - project
 www.derreg.eu
 WP4 – Capacity building, governance and
knowledge
 6 case study areas; research done in collaboration with
respective partners
 Comparative analysis on well-working arrangements
Deliverable D4.3
• www.derreg.eu/content/resource-centre/case-study-reports
 Conceptual framework:
• Wellbrock and Roep (forthcoming), Governance of place-based learning and
innovation in rural areas, European countryside (open access journal)
Various policies
Different places
shaped by
various practices
Development activities
Interfaces
Development strategies:
scope, scale, targets, beneficiaries, etc
Place-based development
Positioning
 Support of capacity building
 Enhance self-efficacy
 More resilient, robust, vital regions
 Support to joint learning and innovation in
grassroots development activities in various rural
places
 How can this support be best arranged?
 Governance of joint learning and innovation in rural
regions
 Focus – arrangements and working of interfaces
WP4 Capacity building, governance & KSS
Heuristic framework of learning rural region
What did we do (and did not do)?
 A) Mapping policies and knowledge support
structure
 complexity – a comprehesive overview is difficult
 B) Inventorizing grassroots development
initiatives and their activities
 Focus on diversity, incomplete
 Joint learning (and innovation) assumed
 C) Identify type of support for joint L&I:
 1) how support is arranged and operationalised
 2) how beneficiaries evaluate the support
 D) Select well-working operational arrangements
The Westerkwartier: An introduction
 Westerkwartier, Netherlands
 Part of Groningen Province
 4 municipalities, 80% agricultural land
 173.4 inhabitants km²/ 374km²
 LEADER region (1 Local Action Group)
 North: Agriculture, South: Diverse interests
Marum
Groote-
gast
Leek
LAG
LEADER
action plan
LEADER
execution
National (Regional) Government NL
Groningen Province
West part of Groningen province (a.k.a. Westerkwartier)
Wetterskip
Frysland
Steering group West
-Waterboards Friesland, Noorderzijl
-Municipalities Marum, Zuidhorn, Grootegast, Leek
- Regio manager West
ZuidhornWaterschap
Noorderzijl
POP (provincial ambience plan)
European Union
Local
level
OP ERDF
Koers Noord
(Course North)
RDP2MJP of AVP
(multi-annual progr.)
Koers verlegd
(Changing course)
Regio dev.
Plan 2008+
PLG (rural area plan)
MJP 2008+
(Multi-ann. prog)
POP execution plan
Rural development policy Regional development policy
CAP2 and EAFRD ERDF and EFS
Dirk Roep & Wiebke Wellbrock
Atelier
Knowledge institutes,
experts & facilitators
„Westerkwartier‟
EU
Ministries
Province
Municipalities
Waterboard
Countryside
Exchange
Brug Toekomst
Research, Education
& Advice Programs
LAG
Expert team
WindowLiving villages
For example:
- WichterWest
- Touristic platform
- Inboeren
- MEI
- Boer & Natuur
- De Eendracht
- De Dotterbloem
- Mien Westerkwartier
- Punt 1
Grassroots
development
initiatives
WSI
„Knowledge
support structure‟
„Public Administration‟
Steering Group
Groningen-West
IntegratedDevelopmentProgram
Westerkwartier
Touristic catalysts
Association
Groningen Villages
Rural House
Meeting place
Rural café
“Regional transition”
Rural house, Westerkwartier NL
Photo: W.Wellbrock
Rural house
• Low-threshold access point: Window to
connect with public administration &
knowledge agents
– Various experts brokering between initiators &
supporters (WSI, LAG, VGD, Province ,
Municipality & Knowledge institutes)
– Financed by LEADER
– Likely continued as a virtual access point
Touristic Catalysts
Photo: Groningen Province
Touristic Catalysts: Support &
Facilitation
• LEADER project to bring tourism to a higher level:
collaboration, better facilities, promotion & regional
branding
• Main tasks
– Network incubator
– Encouraging business plans and investments
– Collective promotion
• Association of touristic entrepreneurs is now active
Rural Cafés
Photo: Groningen Province
Rural Cafés
• Informal exchange of ideas & networking between
initiators, public administration & knowledge agents
• Main objectives:
– Give citizens possibilities to present their regional
development projects/ ideas
– Exchange development ideas
– Informal networking in stimulating atmosphere
– Themed cafés (people with same interest)
Rural regional learning: evalution & reflection
Evaluation of support & facilitation
Well-working arrangements
 An arrangement is composed of:
 shape of operational space (procedures, rules &
regulations) – room for maneouvre
 scale of operation (region, community, business sector)
 delegation of tasks and roles to operational agents and
agencies
 Well-working arrangements are well targeted and
a -tuned composure
Delegation of tasks and roles
 Mediating tasks and roles are crucial, e.g.:
 Network brokering
 Advice, assistance & process management
 Lobbying
 Delegation of task and roles to:
 Regional development networks
 Public private partnerships
 Public institutes
 Professionals
Some lessons learned
 The context (different places) is important, but in
general:
 Operational agents / agencies are crucial to make an
interface work well and policies effective
 Their efficacy depends on the operational space given
to fulfill specific tasks and roles, including informal ones
 Shared leadership is needed to take off
 Proper scaling (not same as administrative level)
towards targeted practices or places is crucial
 Facilitation by KSS is underdeveloped – regular funded
education, research and advice can be more engaged
Discussion
 What does the „learning region‟ perspective add?
 Comprehensive view – will enhance integration
 Highlights the need for well-working interfaces to make
policies more effective
 Stresses the (public) support of joint L&I in grassroots
development activities (place-based development)
 And makes the facilitation of L&I by the KSS explicit –
challenge to have the KSS
 Reflexive monitoring and evaluation (learning from) as
driver of a learning region
Thank you for your attention!
© Wageningen UR