CRISIS, VALUES, GOVERNANCE AND TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This third issue of Universitas Forum focuses on territorial economic development, the social economy and the relationship between them. The articles in this issue draw primarily on experiences in Latin America and in the province of Quebec, in Canada, where this debate is particularly vibrant. In several countries within Latin America, the local and social economy are recognized for the capacity to address social exclusion, poverty reduction and the challenges of local development in urban and rural settings. Three main issues are raised, both in the “critical concepts” and “in practice” sections, weaving a common thread among them: (i) the need for new “values” of reference to define policies for development; (ii) the need for new mechanisms of “governance” in which people play a key role in the implementation of these policies and (iii) the need for new enabling tools that challenge the dominant views on the allocation and distribution of resources.  In addition to land, labour and money (investment capital), this includes the mobilization of knowledge.