Towards a Progressive Local Development Approach: Insights from Local Community Initiatives in Hungary and Romania

Increasing regional inequalities characterise the post-socialist period of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Rural villages in CEE are among the biggest losers of transition to the European Union. This chapter aims to understand how community-owned projects could empower local communities to influence peripheralisation dynamics. Specifically, the authors look at two mayor-led local development projects implemented through national and EU funding. Their research reveals that both projects are important for local communities and could generate benefits for the inhabitants. At the same time, the projects face bureaucratic burdens and lack wide participatory engagement. Based on their findings the authors formulate a series of public policy recommendations meant to foster local engagement, offer more flexibility to local actors and increase the level of support for similar projects.