1. LOCAL ACTION GROUP AS A RESEARCH TOPIC Pylkkänen, Hyyryläinen & Nousiainen 5.9.2007 University of Helsinki Ruralia Institute, Mikkeli

2. “New Rural Governance in Diffused Power Contexts” A reseach project funded by Finnish Academy 2007-2009 Torsti Hyyryläinen, coord. Helsinki univ. Marko Nousiainen Helsinki univ., Päivi Pylkkänen Helsinki univ., Research Team Marja Keränen, Jyväskylä univ. Markku Sotarauta, Tampere univ. Patsy Healey, Univ. of Newcastle, UK Mark Shucksmith, Univ. of Newcastle,UK

3. New Rural Governance in Diffused Power Contexts Aspects of new governance vs. old central government. Rural (Development) Policy is an innovative policy area in Finland, in which new ideas of public administration (e.g. networks, evaluation) have been actively deployed. Research strands: LAG as a political space (Marko Nousiainen) Evaluation in rural policy (Päivi Pylkkänen) Comparative study on rural policies in UK and Finland (entire research team)

4. LAG … EU Finnish society Finnish Rural Policy Evaluation values & approaches 1.1. as a space for civic participation 1.2. Leader method in rural policy 2.1 2.2. Evaluation in rural policy Governance New Rural Governance in Diffused Power Contexts

5. LAG as a political space The strength of Leader action is in the civic participation and resource allocation according to local needs and knowledge. The crucial question is how LAGs represent these needs and knowledge. Empirical study of 1 or 2 LAGS in Finland with an aspiration to understand what it means to be involved in Leader activity? Ethnographig approach: LAG participants’ point of view.

6. LAG as a political space Research questions: - Who does LAG represent? To whom this space is open, to whom it is closed? - What kind of rival conceptions there are of the local knowledge? - What kind of power relations can be identified between participants? - How LAGs make decisions? / Can we speak of deliberative style of decision-making? - Why do activists participate: their personal agendas, motivations, aspirations, fears & achievements.