A Brief Profile of The Arkleton Trust

and

The Arkleton Trust (Research) Ltd (Arkleton Research)

Introduction and background to the aims and activities of the Trust and its affiliates.

The Arkleton Trust was set up in 1977 to "Study new approaches to rural development and education, and to bring policymakers, academics and practitioners in rural development into closer contact". It was conceived as a study trust working at international level which would help to bridge the gaps between research, policy and action, and encourage the exchange of experience and ideas across national boundaries and academic disciplines. Those who set up the Trust had all been engaged in rural development and education at international as well as national levels. The Trust was and is guided by an International Advisory Committee and as a Charity under UK law is governed by a Board of Trustees.

The Trust was established in Scotland, initially at Arkleton in Dumfries-shire, and currently has two offices, an administrative office at Enstone, Oxford, and the office of the Programme Director at Nethy Bridge in Inverness-shire. In keeping with the philosophy of the Trust, both are in rural locations and have made maximum possible use of the 'Information Highway' and distance working techniques for the past ten years.

The initial work of the Trust focused on an annual international seminar and public lecture, but quickly broadened out to award fellowships to mid-career practitioners, sponsoring study visits abroad. In the mid-1980's the award scheme was widened with the introduction of Bernard Conyers fellowships, funded by an endowment, aimed at non-governmental organisations in or concerned with the 'Third World' who were starting innovative projects to disseminate research results and practical rural development and education ideas. In addition, the David Moore fund, managed by the Trust, offered annual awards to young people finishing courses at UK universities and colleges to enable them to gain practical experience in working in rural development, normally in the Third World. Shortly after, a memorial fund was established in the memory of the late Sir John Higgs, one of the founders of the Trust, and this grants awards to small rural development projects especially those aimed at improving the effectiveness of voluntary and other small organisations working in rural areas. These various fellowship and award schemes were complemented in the second half of the 1980's by a fellowship award scheme under the Joint Europe-North America Rural Policy Exchange Programme, established with grants from The Ford Foundation, the USDA and the Donner Canada Foundation. This programme ran for three years and was established jointly with the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies in the US and the Agricultural and Rural Restructuring Group in Canada. In all, over 80 awards have been given since 1979.

In addition, with the appointment of Professor John Bryden as Programme Director in 1980/81, the Trust increasingly became involved directly in social science research relating to development and change in rural areas, as a complement to its other activities. By the mid 1980's it was clear that the scale of research activities were such as to require a new company structure. The Trust set up The Arkleton Trust (Research) Ltd as a Company Limited by Guarantee, and sought and obtained Charitable Status for that Company. John Bryden was appointed Research Director in addition to his continuing duties as Programme Director of The Arkleton Trust. Arkleton Research is wholly self-financing from research grants and contract research work.

In 1986, the Trust established a further company, The Arkleton Trust (Rurtel) Ltd, to set up and run a pilot project in informatics. This project, established with core funding from the Trust and a small grant from the then Highlands and Islands Development Board, established what is thought to be the first computer conferencing system which was both aimed at rural development practitioners and researchers and physically located in a rural area. Following successful completion of the three year pilot project, the management of Rurtel was taken over by NSA Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of BT based in Inverness, and The Arkleton Trust (Rurtel) Ltd has since been declared a dormant company. However, Rurtel still functions, and played a major role in increasing attention on the potential of the 'information highway' in remoter rural areas. It is widely cited in case studies.

Other than John Bryden, the Trust and its affiliates employ a Financial Administrator, a Research Administrator and an Assistant to the Programme Director. Research staff vary according to the work on hand, but in general a maximum of four post-doctoral research staff are employed. In addition, consultants are often hired for particular research projects. Most of our work is collaborative, undertaken jointly with staff in other research centres, institutes and Universities throughout Europe, North America, and in other parts of the world as necessary.

The Arkleton Trust (Research) Ltd

Since its establishment in the mid-1980's, Arkleton Research has raised over ú3 million for social science research in or related to rural areas, mainly in Europe.

Notable successes have been:

• overall responsibility for the six year research programme Rural Change in Europe: Farm Structures and Household Pluriactivity in Europe funded by the European Commission and Governments and Institutions in the 12 participating countries. Major support for the international comparative research was provided by the ESRC through three research awards. This programme was established at the initiative of the Trust following two international seminars in the early 1980's. Overall costs exceeded ú2.5 million, and the EC provided about half of this over the six year period. This was the largest rural social science programme ever conducted on a collaborative basis in Europe, and the first longitudinal study of farm household incomes and work undertaken on a cross-country basis. The final report has been published in English and French by the European Commission, and the study is acknowledged to have been influential both within and beyond the Commission. In addition to policy outcomes, a large number of academic articles and a growing number of books have been produced in several European languages as a result of the programme.
• overall responsibility for work on the prospects for rural areas in Europe as part of the Europe 2000 and Europe 2000 Plus projects of the regional policy directorate of the European Commission. Again, this involved the management of collaborative research across national boundaries.
• substantive work in relation to Rural Services in OECD countries undertaken for the OECD in Paris on two occasions, and input to the new Rural Development Programme of the OECD.
• a series of research projects relating to the informatics revolution and the potential of the 'information highway' in rural areas, including research on the employment implications of advanced communications services for DG-13 in the European Commission, the evaluation of the Pilot Teleservice Centres Project in the Highlands and Islands, research on distance education and training and regional policy in rural areas for the EC's Human Resources Task Force, and the evaluation of the economic and employment impact of the Highlands and Islands Telecommunications Initiative.
• contractor in the RUSSTIC programme of the EC's Human Capital and Mobility Programme, which trains young social scientists at a number of centres in the participating countries and has a specific focus on the problems of measurement of social and economic change in rural areas of Europe.
• principal contractor and coordinator of the REAPER project funded under the EC's AIR programme. This project is a 'concerted action' bringing together rural social scientists and practitioners ('users' of rural social science) in 16 European countries over three years to assess the adequacy of current social science research in relation mainly to non-agricultural aspects of rural change and development.
• membership of Jacques Delors Carrefour on Science, Technology and Culture looking first at the future of rural areas in Europe, and later at the future of democracy, work and the European identity.

In addition, the Trust has undertaken research and studies on public policies on the diversification of farm household activities and incomes in Europe for the EC Commission (1985), on the possibilities for, and constraints on, diversification for tenant farmers in the South-West of England for the Duchy of Cornwall (1985-6), on the concept of a rural resource centre and network in the Scottish Borders for the Scottish Development Agency (1987), on the implications of the reform of the EC structural funds for the Highlands and Islands (Highlands and Islands Development Board: 1987), on rural training needs in Scotland (for the Scottish Development Agency, Highlands and Islands Development Board, Training Agency and Royal Highland and Agricultural Society: 1987-88), on the experience of locally based rural development initiatives and the training and support of animateurs in Europe (Scottish Development Agency: 1988-89), on the evaluation of the North West Development Programme (Highlands and Islands Development Board: 1989), on locally initiated Sustainable Rural Community Development organisations in Scotland, and the role of Public Policy in their support (The Scottish Development Department: 1990-1991), on the evaluation of the Western Isles., Skye and Lochalsh LEADER project, on the development of LEADER projects under LEADER 1 and LEADER II for Lochaber, on the problems and prospects for new entrants to crofting in the Highlands and Islands, on the Implications of transference of publicly owned crofting estates on Skye and Raasay to Crofting Trusts, on EC funding towards rural development in Scotland, on the Interpretations of Crofting Life, on the GDP levels in the Highlands and Islands, on State Aids Rules and their application int eh Highlands and Islands, on the importance of subsidies to crofting townships, on Gaelic Culture, on the Objective 1 programme for the Highlands and Islands, on the importance of rural social science in Europe (for the ESRC), on the results of the Changing Farm Economies Pr ogramme of the Joint Agriculture and Environment Programme (for the ESRC), on the evaluation of the Community Teleservice Centres project in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland (for HIDB/HIE), on the employment implications of Advanced Communications Serivces (for the EC, DG-13), on the economic and employment impact of the Highlands and Islands Telecommunications Initiative (HIE) and in other areas related to rural development, rural policy, information technology and telematics, and education and training.

Professor John Bryden is an economist and social scientist specialising in economic and social aspects of rural change and development, with substantial experience in Europe, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean. He is currently Honorary Professor at the University of Aberdeen, and was 1994 Winegard Visiting Professor at the University of Guelph, Ontario. He has published widely in both academic and practitioner orientated outlets. His works include a book on Tourism and Development (Cambridge University Press, 1973), a book on Agrarian Change in the Scottish Highlands (with George Houston. Glasgow Economic and Social Research Series, Martin-Robertson, 1976), a substantial monograph on Agrarian Change in Western Europe, Farm Household Adjustment 1987-92 (European Commission, 1993), a book on Sustainable Rural Communities (University of Guelph, 1994), and contributions to book dealing with problems of Core and Periphery Regions in Europe (Seers (ed) 1978), on the Crisis of the European Regions (Seers and Ostrom (eds) 1983), on Self- Reliant development in Europe (Bassand, Brugger, Bryden, Stuckey, Freidmann 1985), on Agrarian Change in Scotland in the Post-War Period (in Saville, R 'The Economic Development of Modern Scotland 1950-1980' John Donald, 1986), on Agriculture and Beyond: Rural Economic Development (Summers, Bryden, Deavers, Newby, Sechler 1988), on Global Challenge and Local Response (Stohr, ed 1990), and on Interactions between Farm Households and the Rural Community (In Dent and Macgregor (eds) 'Rural and Farming Systems Analysis - European Perspectives' CABI 1994). He has consulting experience with the Overseas Development Administration, OECD, EEC Commission, Council of Europe, UNCTC, World Bank, Government of Ontario, British Telecom, Scottish Office, Scottish Crofters Union, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise, Economic and Social Research Council and other private and public organisations. He is currently vice chairman of the Highlands and Islands Post Office and T elecommunications Users Committees, a Board Member of Business Information Source in Inverness, and Chairman of the Highlands and Islands Rural Studies Committee. He has been a member of the ESRC's Research Centres Board since 1992, and has had liaison responsibilities for the Oxford Centre for African Economies, the Northern ireland Economic Research Centre, and the ESRC Centre for the Micro-Economic Analysis of Fiscal Policy at the Institute of Fiscal Studies, London.