34 J. FOR. SCI., 59, 2013 (1): 34–40 JOURNAL OF FOREST SCIENCE, 59, 2013 (1): 34–40 Rural development policy in the context of actor-centred institutionalism Z. Dobšinská 1 , J. Šálka 1 , Z. Sarvašová 2,3 , J. Lásková 2 1 Department of Economics and Management of Forestry, Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovak Republic 2 Department of Forest Policy and Economics, National Forest Centre – Forest Research Institute in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovak Republic 3 Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic ABSTRACT: We analysed the formulation of Rural Development Programme of the Slovak Republic for 2007–2013 applying the theory of actor-centred institutionalism and its interaction forms. Approaches accentuating the role of actors and their interactions are an appropriate tool for the better understanding of cross-sectoral relationships and the improvement of public policy coherence in the formulation process of strategic documents in rural development. Methodologically the study is based on a qualitative analysis of documents and standardized interviews. The formu- lation of RDP SR 2007–2013 is showing signs of cross-sectoral coordination between different actors in the form of bargaining, as well as signs of hierarchical coordination among public and private actors. In the formulation process of RDP SR 2007–2013 a negative mechanism of coordination was dominant with negative consequences for the policy coherence of the final document. A positive element for the coherence of rural development policy is the observation of decision-making elements in networks. Keywords: policy coherence; hierarchy; bargaining; rural development policy; Rural Development Programme of the Slovak Republic for 2007–2013 Rural development policy is typical cross-sectoral policy, which includes agriculture, forestry, tourism, development of local communities, environmen- tal problems and others. Te paper deals with the explanation of the rural development policy and its relationship with forestry using institutional theo- ries focusing on actors and their mutual forms of interaction (Scharpf 2000). Tis approach provides one of the possible cross-sectoral researches on the relationships between several areas of public policy. Approaches accentuating the role of actors and their interactions are appropriate tools for the better un- derstanding of cross-sectoral links and improvement of public policy coherence in the process of formula- tion of strategic documents on rural development. Te aim of this work is based on qualitative analy- sis of documents and standardized interviews (with relevant actors in the formulation process) in order to describe the cross-sectoral coordination of rural development and forestry policies in the formula- tion of the Rural Development Programme of the Slovak Republic for 2007–2013 (2007). Te prima- ry data sources used for the analysis of documents are: RDP 2007–2013, minutes of working groups and secondary sources on the Internet and media. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts (Ministry of Agriculture, members of monitoring committee, NGO representatives, state administration, etc.) selected from the list of actors involved in the creation of RDP (2007), as well as Supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency, Project No. APVV-0057-11, and by the European Regional Development Fund, Project No. 262201200006.