Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review: stage 1 - theories of change

Overarching theory of change

Once a Theory of Change was developed for each element, Ipsos created an overarching Theory of Change (see figure 1.4) as a synthesis of the three elements. This chapter highlights the relationship between Community Led Local Development, Scottish Rural Action and the Scottish Rural Network, including areas of common purpose and also distinctions.

Vision and aims

While distinct in their approaches, areas of common purpose across Community Led Local Development, Scottish Rural Action and the Scottish Rural Network include an emphasis on the role of communities in shaping their own futures through a bottom-up, participatory approach. They all highlight sustainability and resilience, with the aim of ensuring the economic, social, and environmental wellbeing of rural and island communities. All three recognise the value of collaboration and networking, both within Scotland and beyond, to share knowledge and best practice.

The relative focus of each element could be summarised as follows:

• Community Led Local Development (CLLD) focuses on local empowerment, and enabling local communities to address their unique challenges and build on their strengths.
• Scottish Rural Action (SRA) focuses on building a rural movement for policy change, mobilising a collective voice for rural Scotland to influence policy and advocate for rural needs.
• The Scottish Rural Network (SRN) focuses on supporting communities through innovation and policy implementation, facilitating community participation in policy processes to improve delivery.

Inputs

Community Led Local Development, Scottish Rural Action and the Scottish Rural Network all operate within a shared policy framework. They are all informed by academic and applied research, and they all rely on Scottish Government funding as a primary input. The involvement of people with diverse skills and experience is also a common thread across each element.

Some key distinctions include:

• Community Led Local Development (CLLD), and its network of Local Action Groups (LAGs), sometimes draws on a more diverse range of funding (for example, match funding, other Scottish Government funding such as the Investing in Communities Fund, UK Government funding such as the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and remaining EU funds like RURACTIVE).
• Scottish Rural Action (SRA) receives donations and sponsorships from private sector and charitable organisations, and also generates income through paid-for services (for example, secretariat roles).
• The Scottish Rural Network (SRN), which is part of a wider group of National Networks across the UK and EU, operates within a specific legislative framework related to agricultural and rural policy for funding.

Activities

Common activities across the three elements include capacity building activities, networking and communication, and policy engagement. The key distinctions are:

• Community Led Local Development (CLLD)’s focus on direct action at the local level through Local Action Group (LAG) activities, which enable communities to identify their own needs and aspirations, support innovation and investment, and take a strategic approach to funding decisions.
• Scottish Rural Action (SRA)’s focus on building a grassroots rural movement and advocating for rural needs. SRA emphasises building a platform for collective action and amplifying the voices of seldom-heard groups (including, but not only, through the Scottish Rural and Islands Parliament events).
• The Scottish Rural Network (SRN)’s focus on facilitating participation in policy development and improving the delivery of rural development programmes. SRN collaborates with partners to support activities and engages with other Scottish Government policy areas.

Outputs and outcomes

Community Led Local Development, Scottish Rural Action and the Scottish Rural Network all produce outputs related to networking and communication, such as events and meetings, publications and resources, and online engagement. This highlights a shared emphasis on improving connections between stakeholders, sharing information, and fostering collaboration.

Key variations across other outputs and outcomes include:

• Community Led Local Development (CLLD)’s outputs being more project-focused, reflecting the diversity of local initiatives it supports. Its outcomes are centred around tangible local improvements.
• Scottish Rural Action (SRA)’s outputs being geared towards platform building and influencing policy. Its outcomes are centred around strengthening the rural movement.
• The Scottish Rural Network (SRN)’s outputs being focused on effective networking with rural communities and businesses. Its outcomes are centred around improving the development and implementation of rural development programmes and policies.

Longer term impacts

Community Led Local Development, Scottish Rural Action and the Scottish Rural Network all aim to improve the overall quality of life and wellbeing of Scotland’s rural and island communities. This includes enhancing economic, social, and environmental sustainability. They all seek to enhance community resilience, confidence, and collaboration.

Their intended impacts are distinct in the following ways:

• Community Led Local Development focuses on longer-term impacts related to resilience, business viability, and systems change. These include increased community leadership of local development initiatives, enhanced community confidence and empowerment, improved access to and control over resources, stable or growing populations, reduced rural poverty and inequality, and enhanced community benefits.
• Scottish Rural Action focuses on longer-term impacts related to strengthening the rural movement. These include evidence-based policymaking that addresses structural barriers to rural and island development, trust between stakeholders, and recognition of the value of rural and island Scotland.
• The Scottish Rural Network focuses on longer-term impacts related to policy responsiveness and programme effectiveness. These include funding being used to add value to rural and island communities, wider policies being more responsive to the needs of rural and island communities, and improved implementation and delivery of the Scottish Rural Development Programme.

Assumptions and risks

Community Led Local Development, Scottish Rural Action and the Scottish Rural Network all rely on external factors, including political support, funding availability and the ongoing commitment of stakeholders. They are also dependent on the capacity and capabilities of staff, volunteers and communities. In particular:

• Community Led Local Development's assumptions focus on the capacity of Local Action Groups and the long-term commitment of local partners.
• Scottish Rural Action's assumptions focus on the dynamics of the rural movement and its relationship with government and civil society.
• The Scottish Rural Network's assumptions focus on its continued connection with European networks.

Funding challenges and community capacity are key risks to all elements, as well as the perception of duplicated effort which could lead to missed opportunities.