New challenges and opportunities for local development, social cohesion and innovation

The book contains academic reflections on the relationship between governance, local economic development, poverty and social inclusion. The wide array of empirical material presented and the different perspectives on local development are balanced by the convergence in the contributors' analysis of the root-causes at the basis of conflicts on decision-making power devolution and on the pressures exerted by dominant neo-liberal thinking on development policies. As a result, concepts such as "good governance" or "participation" have acquired a hegemonic status among international development donors and the paraphernalia of Western development governmental and non-governmental agencies creating destabilising trends on local decision making.