An Evaluation of Entrepreneurship Orientation within the LEADER+ program in the European Union

Abstract

This article deals with the currently widely discussed entrepreneurialorientation (EO) and investigates the roles this concept actually plays withinthe LEADER+ development program and its implementation in three Europeanterritories. The main question addressed in this analysis is whether or not theLEADER+ envisaged EO as a basic element for rural development. Can we reallyobserve both at the rhetoric and at the implementation levels impacts of the EO onthe LEADER+? To answer this question the official programmatic documents ofthe EU community initiative LEADER+ are analyzed against the background ofthe most important EO concepts and characteristics. Subsequently, a deeper lookin the implementation of LEADER+ in three European territories shows that theEO still has little impact in the actions implemented. Some major contradictoryrhetoric of the LEADER+ is identified regarding EO and its importance to the developmentprogram. As well as some important suggestions for improving futuredevelopment program can be derived from the analysis. These show that, despitethe lack of focus on EO by the LEADER+, the concept has the potential to make asignificant contribution to the successful development of regions.

Keywords

• Entrepreneurial orientation
• Rural development
• LEADER+