Is LEADER Elitist or Inclusive? Composition of Danish LAG Boards in the 2007â2013 Rural Development and Fisheries Programmes

The literature on local action groups offers various reflections on whether the LEADER initiative is elitist or inclusive. As one of seven key concepts behind the LEADER method, the bottom-up concept spurs an expectation that LEADER is more able to involve the average citizen than other programmes. Until now, however, only scarce information on the composition of the LEADER boards has been available to tell us if this is really so at the decision-making level. A survey from 2008 examining the composition of the 55 local action groups established in the 2007–2013 Danish Rural Development and Fisheries Programmes shows that most of the board members are extremely well-educated older men who hold many other posts in society. This lopsided representation is discussed for its problems and potentials from two opposing theoretical angles: from a perspective of post-liberal theories of inclusive democracy and the relative autonomy of elites and sub-elites.