News | 22 Aug 2024

How to assess the LEADER added value and demonstrate the benefits of its approach: guidelines to support Member States

These guidelines, available in all the EU languages, provide insights into the operationalisation of LEADER added value, and offer a non-binding evaluation framework to assess LEADER added value.

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LEADER has been an innovative and essential part of EU rural development policy for over three decades. With each programming period, LEADER has expanded its scope and tools to empower local communities and drive sustainable development. However, effectively assessing its added value has remained an ongoing challenge.

New non-binding guidelines have been prepared to help Member States to face this challenge.

The added value of LEADER refers to the benefits derived from properly implementing the LEADER method, compared to the potential benefits that would have been achieved without it. These benefits manifest as improved social capital, enhanced governance, and enhanced results and impacts of programme/strategy implementation 

Recognising the importance of demonstrating the LEADER added value, Member States are expected to assess it during the implementation of the CAP Strategic Plans for 2023-2027.

However, this is a significant challenge, particularly when dealing with intangible benefits, such as assessing the skills of individuals, networking, and collective learning. 

The new guidelines are the outcomes of the Thematic Working Group (TWG) ‘’Assessing the added value of LEADER’’ established in April 2023 with the aim of addressing these challenges by:  

  • operationalising the concept of LEADER added value; 
  • designing examples of evaluation framework of LEADER added value in the programming period 2023-2027. 

The work of the TWG was organised in a participatory manner; documents drafted by evaluation experts were actively discussed with stakeholders in a series of meetings.  

Overall, more than 90 stakeholders representing LAGs, LAG networks, National Networks, Managing Authorities, evaluators, researchers and DG AGRI participated in several events and provided their feedback. 

Despite the varied individual opinions, there was a common interest and motivation to create a framework that could help assess the added value of LEADER. LEADER implementation across the EU is quite diverse, so it's impossible to create a simple one-size-fits-all solution for every Member State and LAG. However, the components we propose in the evaluation framework are comprehensive enough for Member States to select and adapt to their needs. I hope these guidelines will support Member States in demonstrating and providing evidence-based proof that the LEADER approach delivers significant added value Valdis Kudiņš, Evaluation Manager at the Evaluation Helpdesk, Coordinator of the Thematic Working Group

Discussions were particularly useful in creating a common understanding of how to operationalise the concept of LEADER added value, and how to capture it in the evaluation framework. It was also very useful to balance various needs and expectations of stakeholders on what the evaluations can do.

The previous guidelines ‘’Evaluation of LEADER/CLLD’’(2017) served as a foundational resource to provide a comprehensive understanding of the concept of LEADER added value. The concept was also further operationalised with inputs from the support study of the costs and benefits of LEADER implementation, as well as from practical experiences of evaluations of LEADER in several Member States.

For each factor of success proposed in the evaluation framework, the reader will find a set of indicators that can help provide quantitative evidence justifying the expected success.

For example, to assess the improvements or changes in terms of size and diversity of the network and quality of interactions within the LAG, the new guidelines ’’Assessing the added value of LEADER’’ propose using the following indicators: (Output) Number of LAG members broken down by type of organisation: a) public administrations; b) private local economic interests; c) social local interests; d) other; (Result) Network diversity index of the LAG membership (as a proxy of structural social capital of the LAG); (Impact) LAG members that consider a quality cooperation culture has developed between LAG members. All these indicators will provide evidence of networking as one of the elements of the social capital.

For each indicator that is included in the example of the evaluation framework there is an indicator fiche provided.

Each fiche contains the definition and aim of the use of the respective indicator. It also identifies the unit of measurement as well as data sources. For example, many indicators propose using as the data source the variables / data for monitoring and evaluation (DME) defined in the Annex VII to the Regulation (EU) 2022/1475, which will be collected / reported by all Member States / LAGs. There are also indicators which require the collection of primary data via surveys, focus groups, and interviews. Indicator fiches suggesting the time and frequency of data collection are provided, to address encountered challenges when establishing points of comparison, such as determining a baseline. Methodology, approach, or formula for the calculation of data, together with other comments and possible caveats, are also provided for each indicator.  

Given the varied approaches to LEADER implementation across Member States, it is inevitable that evaluation frameworks for assessing LEADER added value will also vary. Consequently, these guidelines aim to offer a wide-ranging list of elements and indicators. This approach empowers evaluation stakeholders to select and adapt elements according to their specific capacities and contexts.

To support familiarisation of these guidelines and to facilitate their application in practice, the EU CAP Network, supported by the Evaluation Helpdesk, offers capacity-building events in Member States.

The full document of the guidelines ‘’Assessing the added value of LEADER’’ is published online on the EU CAP Network publications database.