Marek FURMANKIEWICZ, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland
Krzysztof JANC, University of Wroclaw, Poland
Iga SOLECKA, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland
Richard J. HEWITT, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
Local Action Groups (LAGs) in the European Union (EU) are cross-sectoral partnerships applying the principles of the Community-Led Local Development approach (Cejudo and Navarro 2020; Konecný 2019). In Poland, they operate as associations of legal entities and private persons. They act as information providers and redistribute public funds supporting local actions for social and economic development (Furmankiewicz et al. 2021b). One way in which they provide information is through dedicated LAG websites. As part of this research, we analysed Internet links from LAG home pages to websites of other institutions that also support development and local communities. The research covered all 324 LAG's existing in Poland. We found a total of 1,190 hyperlinks on 254 LAG Internet services. The average number of hyperlinks per website was low - less than 5 links per LAG. Only 16 websites had 10 or more hyperlinks. The hyperlinks led to websites of 426 different institutions (including other LAGs). The most frequently recommended websites were websites of institutions supervising financing or supporting LAGs, such as: The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Warsaw (140), the Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture, Warsaw (115), and the National Rural Network, Warsaw (71). Links to EU institutional websites were ranked fourth (27). The relatively high number of hyperlinks also led to portals run by regional authorities. Our findings suggest that LAGs focus on providing information related to the redistribution of EU funds under national programs supporting local projects (most often the Rural Development Programs), but they are missing an opportunity to serve as knowledge brokers of EU actions. Addressing this weakness could improve the way rural neo-endogenous development combines local needs and over-local EU goals (Furmankiewicz et al. 2021a). This research was financed by the National Science Centre, Poland (Project No. 2019/33/B/HS4/00176).
Keywords: Local Action Groups|information broker|support for local communities|Internet homepages|hyperlinks
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