This publication was produced by the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE), led by Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, Director, as part of the programme of work of the Regional Development Policy Committee (RDPC). This report was prepared by the Regional Development and Multi-level Governance Division (RDG) of the OECD, headed by Dorothée Allain-Dupré
The OECD would like to thank the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (DRCDG) for the fruitful collaboration and their generous financial contribution and in-kind support. The report benefited from the helpful cooperation and insights of senior officials within DRCDG and across Government departments, and from stakeholders and community representatives. The OECD thanks all participants in the consultations, meetings and interviews for their insights, information and inputs. The OECD would especially like to thank Limerick City and County Council and Roscommon County Council and their officials who facilitated the in-person mission visits, and the local community representatives and participants who engaged so openly with the authors during the visits.
This publication was co-ordinated and drafted by Betty-Ann Bryce (Chapters 1, 3, 4 and 5) and co-authored by Felix Winkelmayer (Chapter 2), with contributions from Selin Duran, Fernando Riaza Fernández and Loukas Gourgiotis, David Freshwater from the University of Kentucky (Chapters 4 and 5), Sally Shortall, Professor of Rural Economy and Director of the Centre for Rural Economy (Chapters 4 and 5) and Arwen Low (Chapters 1, 3 and 4). Expert contributions and feedback were provided by Michael Flood (OECD), Miquel Vidal-Bover (OECD) and Peter Wostner (external consultant). The report was supervised by José Enrique Garcilazo, Head of the Regional and Rural Policy Unit in RDG. We also extend thanks to Akre Benedicte (Ministry of Local Government, Norway), Torbjørn Trane Jensen (Nordland County Council, Norway), Eva van der Meulen (Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, the Netherlands), Marc Plancherel (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Switzerland) and Hans Peter Olsen (Ministry of Urban, Rural and Ecclesiastical Affairs, Denmark) for sharing their expertise on rural policies.
The manuscript was edited by Eleonore Morena. Arwen Low and Jack Waters prepared the manuscript for publication.
The OECD Secretariat thanks the delegates to the RDPC for their valuable input. This work is part of the OECD Territorial Reviews series. It supports the implementation of the mandate of the OECD Working Party for Rural Policy and the RDPC.