LEADER 2014-2020: process evaluation

Annex A

Focus Groups Protocol

Short introduction to introduce overall question: Has LEADER had an impact on life in rural Scotland?

I Opening question

What do you like about living in your area, what do you value?

II Governance

1. Has LEADER helped you and your organisation to work more closely with the local delivery partner? Has it helped you to identify contact persons to help your projects?

2. Can you talk through the application process? Was it flexible enough or did it restrict you in any way?

3. How well did your ideas and projects fit into your Local Development Strategy?

4. Do you think that a more open national Local Development Strategy would have been more accommodating than having 21 different LDS? Does the LDS reflect the needs of rural?

5. Were there cases where there was a conflict between you/ your organization and the LAG?

III Rural Economy (economy, employment, skills)

6. Do you and your organization feel like LEADER has helped businesses or the provision of services in your area in terms of development and growth?

7. Can you give examples of how for example a project has led to the creation of jobs?

8. Or helped to retain workers and their families in the area?

9. Has LEADER helped to develop skill sets that you and your organization needed? Has it made a difference to human capital in the area? What about job satisfaction and your job environment?

10. Can you give an example to when LEADER has facilitated innovation? What does innovative mean to you?

IV Impact on the community's identity (Social Capital)

11. From your experience, has the LEADER helped to strengthen community ties?

12. To what extent has LEADER increased collaboration and networking in your area?

13. Can you give examples of when a LEADER project has helped bring together a range of people from different backgrounds (age, ethnicity, occupations, gender, religions etc)?

V Impact on traditions and heritage (Cultural Capital)

14. Can you give examples of how LEADER has helped to improve living circumstances by for example revitalising and energising them?

15. For example, have there been investments that led to an upgrade of heritage assets and buildings?

16. How has this impacted the community?

VI Impact on the environment (attitudes and ecosystem)

17. Has LEADER funding helped to improve the environment in the area?

18. Has it helped to change people's perception and attitudes towards nature, and the environment?

19. Do you think projects have helped people to increase awareness and responsibility for their environment?

20. Has LEADER helped you stop and think about your projects?

VII Funding and applications

21. How did you experience the access to information regarding funding?

22. How did you find the application process?

VIII Closing question:

23. If you could design another programme to support rural Scotland, what would you continue, what would you change?

24. Is there anything else you would like to discuss?