Abstract
The paper shows that the expected positive effects in terms of innovation under the LEADER programme are closely dependent on the structure of networks of actors and arrangements between them at the local level. A theoretical grid of local governance is used and applied in five Local Action Groups (LAGs) in France, Lithuania and Spain. To foster innovation with the LEADER programme, three conditions are important: the emergence of more shared decision-making bodies, integration of civil society actors into strategic political thinking, and the need for strong local territorial engineering to serve innovation.