POLITICHE DI SVILUPPO RURALE MULTIFUNZIONALITà E BENI PUBBLICI UN TENTATIVO DI SISTEMAZIONE

This study attempts to analyze different available tools to evaluate the impacts of the Rural Development Policies, particularly regarding at the multifunctional role of agriculture. In the first part, it has been analyzed the economic aspects of multifunctionality, summarizing main issues of the international debate. Public Choice approach seems to represent a useful instrument to analyze policies oriented to support multifunctional role of agricultural sector, providing benefits to the whole community that could be defined as public goods. A critical review of the widely used tools for assessment of public goods allows individuating two general approaches: the microeconomic one, with revealed preferences or contingent valuation methods, and the macroeconomic one with public expenditures method. According to Public Choice theory from one side, and with critiques to microeconomic approach from the other side, public expenditures method seems to fit better for the analytical purpose of the study. On the basis of such methodological premises, macroeconomic approach has been applied as a case study to Rural Development Programme of Tuscany region, with interesting and original results.