Policy impact assessment and evaluation

How effective and efficient are instruments to strengthen rural areas and protect natural resources?

Our research focuses on specific instruments – strategies, laws, regulations and funding programmes – for rural development and land use governance.

Our key questions are:

• Which political instruments can be used to foster the intended development of rural areas and land use?
• On which theories and concepts are these instruments based?
• How should these instruments be evaluated (theory-based and empirically founded)?

We analyse the conceptualization and rationale of established or proposed instruments and examine their relevance and appropriateness. We also conduct impact assessments, both ex-ante and ex-post. Our methods are being continuously improved. Other key aspects are the establishment of a comprehensive data base as well as the development and maintenance of a powerful model infrastructure.

Our research covers a broad array of topics: The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, rural development programmes, the German Fertilizer Regulation or climate protection strategies. This results in a variety of interfaces with other fields of activity in our institute.