The aim of the study was to review the policy instruments under the framework of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), 2007-13, by: • reviewing intervention rationales and instruments and their use against the objectives, priorities and key actions in the EU Strategic...

The article discusses relevant theories concerning economic political integration within the political system of the European Union which today is far the most important regulatory framework for businesses of the EU. In conclusion, the article suggests a so-called social constructivist rational...

Since its inception, the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has been discussed controversely. Data from the OECD and the World Bank show that the protectionist effects of the CAP between the 1960s and the 1980s were larger than those of its national predecessors. Moreover, there...

RegMAS (Regional Multi Agent Simulator) is an open-source spatially explicit multi-agent model framework specifically designed for long-term simulations of the effects of policies on agricultural systems. Using iterated conventional optimisation problems as agents’ behavioural rules, it allows...

The main objective of this paper is to provide proposals for a reform of the future EU Rural Development policy, in the context of the 2014-2020 programming period. To this end, it is necessary to take stock of the main progress achieved by this policy over the past years. Furthermore, this...

In the context of the recent debate on the objectives, measures and funding of a post-2013 CAP, there is growing consensus that one of the rationales of a future policy will be to support the provision of public goods. As a contribution to this debate, the paper draws on several case study...