Germany | OECD rural policy reviews : Germany
2007
This review discusses the challenges and opportunities of German rural areas. Significant differences between East and West persist and many of these have clear rural dimensions. Factors such as CAP reforms, ageing of the German population and migration trends will also have important rural implications. Many of these issues involve more than rural policy, but rural policy has a place in resolving all of the key issues. However, for rural policy to be an effective part of the policy process it will have to evolve beyond the existing limits in Germany. This review states that Germany's current approach to rural development and rural policy is mainly sectoral and thus does not fully capture the diversity of rural regions. Neither does it foster the development of programs that are adapted to each place. Based on the experience of other OECD countries, a number of priorities for reform can be identified. The implementation of these reforms will require as a pre-condition the acknowledgement that, although appropriate at a certain moment in time, the present approach to rural policy needs profound modifications. These modifications require building a broad consensus in order to overcome resistance that has long impeded change in rural policy in both Germany as well as in several other OECD countries. This consensus should be built progressively and through the diffusion of well-researched, objective information to both policy makers and broad sectors of civil society on the status and challenges of rural Germany.--Publisher's description.
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