Relations linking LAG members and the implementation of partnership and bottom – up approach in the LEADER method. The case of Łódzkie voivodeship

Abstract

The aim of the article is to find an answer to the question how the relations between the members of local action groups influence the implementation of partnership and bottom - up approach of the LEADER method. Analyses cover such variables as: 1) the level of the LAG members’ trust in the representatives of different sectors, 2) the LAG members’ conviction of the need for multi-sectoral collaboration. Also examined are the following variables that influence the LAG members’ relationships: 1) the types and frequency of meetings held by LAGs and their influence on the members’ social contacts, 2) the LAG members’ conviction of the necessity to acquire knowledge about the procedures (legal and financial) of their groups’ operation, 3) the level of the LAG members’ participation in the groups’ decisions, 4) the form of the members’ activity within work carried out by the LAGs. The article’s conclusions have been formulated on the basis of sociological research conducted in the Łódzkie voivodeship.