The debate on the future orientation of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is increasingly
shaped by the role of agriculture in providing public goods and there is a broad consensus
that this approach will be particularly relevant in legitimating the policy intervention in
agriculture in the future. In the context of this debate it is not clear to what extent
collective action could be taken into consideration as a valuable alternative to market or
state regulation in contributing to the provision of public goods and to what extent it is
possible to design and implement agricultural policies that incorporate a collective and
collaborative approach between different stakeholders in rural areas. Through an in depth
analysis two case studies in Italy the book provides insights to both the policy and the
theoretical debate on the role of collective action for the public goods associated to
agriculture.¿
