---

---

What is the RERC?

Defra's aim in setting up the RERC was to provide innovative research to support policy-making in the Directorate of Living Land and Seas where the overall policy aim is to '... enhance opportunity and tackle social exclusion in rural areas.'

Defra's broad requirements of the RERC were:

• to develop and conduct, in conjunction with Defra, an innovative research agenda programme to support Defra’s objectives on English Rural Affairs,
• to provide a networking and dissemination activity for research on Rural Affairs by, for example, running workshops and seminars, and
• to provide a 'fast response' resource for conducting small and specific research projects specified by Defra.

The work programmes initially developed in response to these requirements can be found on the Defra website.

Objectives

Three priorities were identified by Defra for the initial work of the Centre:

• a focus on the development of social capital/capacity within rural communities,
• input to the design of a proposed new longitudinal survey of rural communities to inform the themes identified in the Rural White Paper 2000 and Defra’s rural PSA4 target, and
• to take account of the new definitions of rural and urban areas launched in July 2004,

whilst at the same time developing a distinctive body of research on rural issues.

The Consortium Response

A collaborative approach was required by Defra which would promote linkages between social scientists and economists and/or other relevant disciplines. It was also felt to be important to establish international linkages to ensure that the national research base benefited from work in other countries.