Informing Scotland’s Rural Deliverty Plan and Rural Lens: Evidence, Indicators and Evaluation. Final Report from the SEFARI Specialist Advisory Group

This report summarises the information provided to, and discussed with, the Scottish Government by a SEFARI-funded Specialist Advisory Group (SAG). The SAG was originally set up in late 2022 to provide advice to the Scottish Government for developing their rural lens guidance. The role of the Group evolved over time to broaden its activities in response to Scottish Government’s announcement that a Rural Delivery Plan would be published by 2026.

The aim of the SAG was to draw on the individual and collective expertise of a group of academics to provide information and advice to the Scottish Government on its introduction of a rural lens and on its Rural Delivery Plan. Members of the Group provided this information on the basis of previous research (done by themselves and others) on rural policy design and implementation in different countries, including in relation to rural proofing/rural lens tools, and their learning about what has worked well and less well in other contexts which might be relevant and applicable to Scotland.