European rural development under the Common Agricultural Policy's 'Second Pillar': Institutional conservatism and innovation

The EU Rural Development Regulation (RDR) was launched in 2000 as the new 'second pillar' of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), promoting sustainable rural development. The rhetoric surrounding the Regulation emphasized decentralized, participative delivery and a territorial and multi-sectoral focus - relatively new and unfamiliar principles for the CAP. Evidence from a European study of RDR Programmes is used to evaluate how this experiment has performed in the initial years, highlighting the need for further institutional adaptation to enable effective delivery. The relevance of lessons learned in the design and delivery of EU regional policy is also highlighted. The prospects for more effective adaptation are assessed in the light of the most recent sets of CAP reforms