Teaching staff:
Spathis Pavlos
Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics & Rural Development, Agricultural University of Athens
Karanikolas Pavlos
Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Economics & Rural Development, Agricultural University of Athens

The course is focused on the description of the framework that justifies policies for the development and management of the rural sector (agricultural policy, socio structural policy, regional policy etc.). It provides the scientific tools for assessing and evaluating alternative means of public intervention. Emphasis is placed on the European and world dimension of policy formulation and implementation, which affects rural space management at the national, regional and local level. The course treats the dynamic evolution of the Common Agricultural Policy, the multilateral negotiations concerning international trade liberalization, in the context of the World Trade Organization, and their impact on the agricultural sector and the agribusiness chain. The design and implementation of rural development policies in Greece during the period 2007-2013 are examined in detail. Finally, rural development policies are critically examined in the context of the ‘paradigm change’ in agriculture.