20. The role of bottom–up approaches for the social capital development in the rural areas of Bulgaria

In recent decades, the focus of the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union has been shifting from the development and implementation of sectorial policies to ones that are territorially based and tailored to the specific needs of the regions. In this regard emphasis is placed on bottom-up approaches that require the active involvement of all stakeholders in the process of decision making.
The aim of this report is to examine the role of bottom-up approaches for the social capital formation and development in rural areas. The article discusses the concept of social capital, bottom-up approaches and the difficulties in their implementation in Bulgaria. The links between NGO’s implementing an integrated model for the support of small businesses have been analyzed.