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Transatlantic Similarities and Contrasts in Rural Development Policies
Transatlantische Ähnlichkeiten und Gegensätze bei den Politiken zur Entwicklung des ländlichen Raums
Points communs et divergences transatlantiques sur le développement rural
Author(s) -
Cochrane Nancy,
Wojan Tim
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
eurochoices
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.487
H-Index - 15
eISSN - 1746-692X
pISSN - 1478-0917
DOI - 10.1111/j.1746-692x.2008.00081.x
Subject(s) - common agricultural policy , agriculture , european union , political science , agricultural policy , economic growth , rural settlement , sustainable development , rural area , rural development , population , geography , business , economics , sociology , economic policy , demography , archaeology , law
Transatlantic Similarities and Contrasts in Rural Development Policies The United States (US) and European Union (EU) share many general policy aims for rural areas, but they differ in the ways in which they try to achieve these aims. The principal difference lies in the role envisioned by agriculture in overall rural development. EU policies treat agriculture as a provider of public goods, and many of its ‘rural’ programmes target agriculture. In the US, very few Federal rural development programs are focused solely on agriculture. Differences of approach may be linked to different farm distributions, population densities, historical settlement patterns, and the historical policy process per se . In particular, in the US rural development policy does not cover the environment or income support to farmers; these are addressed through other programmes. In contrast, the EU classifies its agri‐environmental programmes as rural development, claiming that more environmentally‐friendly farm practices bring benefits to the broader rural economy. US State and local initiatives emphasize many themes found in the EU’s Pillar II programmes, such as value‐added or sustainable agriculture. Overall, although there are marked differences in the ways in which policies are implemented, the coverage of these policies in the EU and US is rather similar.