Local Leadership for European Rural and Small Cities Erasmus Project

Project Title

Local Leadership for European Rural and Small Cities

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Gender equality / equal opportunities

Project Summary

Local governments must take responsibility to mitigate, counter, and overcome the impact of the economic crisis COVID-19 is generating, in order to soften the wide destructive effects on social cohesion and risks exacerbating societal tensions for coming. There is a widespread recognition of the need for improvements in governance and in the management of public expenditure, for increasing efficiency across the whole public sector, and for greater collaboration between all stakeholders, central government, and local and regional authorities as well as their associations.
Today’s pandemic and its aftermath is demanding a more effective public governance and highlighting the importance of the local public governance schemes. Local governments are responsible for the delivery of essential public services and they represent two-thirds of public investment on average across the OECD area.
Given the great diversity of situations and frameworks both across countries and within them, there is no one-size-fits-all solution and policy responses must be tailormade to reflect the fact that, even within countries, different regions face very different challenges and have different assets. Policies to be designed to address the crisis and its consequences have to mobilise local actors, first in support of stimulus and in the consolidation phase. Engaging local authorities will remain a priority. In a context of increasingly volatile and uncertain economic conditions, effective responses by local governments, in harmony with the policies of central governments, are crucial to sustainable growth. Policy co-ordination between the central and local governments is of profound importance to the effectiveness of both.
This project based on giving responses to the upcoming new crisis and its consequences paints a picture of today’s situation, which clearly shows that the state of affairs has worsened even further since the previous year.
Neverhteless, this situation can be a chance to define a new model of growth based on an endogenous development of territories. We are convinced that it is the municipalities that are best suited to envision their development as they can best use the resources at their disposal, whether they be financial, human or material in nature, thus ensuring the future of our citizens and the wellfare State.
The project aims to improve the awareness and training of local elected people from rural communities to become local leaders for social Innovation in rural areas, involving local corporations, civil society organizations, labor market players and service providers in critical times and following the ODS framework.
The development and promotion of the implementation of local leadership plans based on local communities will be focused on promoting new emerging services and economies to set population in rural areas and fight against the impact of the economic crisis that COVID-19 pandemic will spread.
It is intended to carry out 4 pilot experiences (capacity programs), one in each partner country of the project, to create a toolkit to set local policies for crisis, recovery and sustainable future.
General Objective:
To develop strategic actions in favor of promoting local rural authorities to lead solutions in order to provide good quality public and private services and set population within the ODS framework throughout:
– stabilizing local revenue bases,
– improving efficiency and accountability,
– combating social deprivation,
– “partnershiping” in public services,
– promoting economic recovery,
– being better resilient communities.

Partnership will also focus on service management experiences, so that their partner municipalities be able to continue to provide services despite pressures due to the economic situation. Municipal and regional post-crisis management plans will be drawn up by the municipalities, with the help and expertise of willing local civil society to esure they continue functioning.

In this framework, developing such a project which reinforce local institutions gives more weight to local elected officials with their constituents, which means that they are considered the authorities to turn to for crisis management.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 284585 Eur

Project Coordinator

Associazione Rete dei Comuni Solidali – Comuni della Terra per il Mondo & Country: IT

Project Partners

• EYROPAIKO INSTITOYTO TOPIKHS ANAPTYKSHS
• MUNICIPIO DE LOUSADA
• FUNDACION PARA LA INNOVACION Y LA TECNOLOGIA
• EXCMO. AYUNTAMIENTO DE PURCHENA
• Kapadokya Egitim ve Arastirma Dernegi