Europeanisation in neo-endogenous development: do local strategies address issues relevant to EU supranational objectives?

The European Union (EU) promotes rural participatory development through Local Action Groups (LAGs), which create Local Development Strategies (LDSs) supported by EU funds. These strategies exemplify neo-endogenous development, blending top-down support with bottom-up initiatives. This study evaluates how the LDSs prepared in Poland during the 2014–2020 EU funding period reflected issues important for the supranational Europe 2020 Strategy targets. Using a content analysis of 293 strategies, we find alignment with the pan-European objectives on employment, education, and poverty reduction, but a limited focus on greenhouse gas reduction and renewable energy. Although the need for ‘innovation’ was frequently mentioned in LDSs, it was rarely related to real R&D actions. Statistical and spatial analyses suggest that local goals were shaped by access to funds, which is consistent with the assumptions of neo-endogenous development and top-down Europeanisation. However, achieving consistency between EU-wide eco-friendly targets and local income security needs is challenging.