Knowledge and Social Capital: Drivers for Sustainable Local Growth

Abstract

This paper presents a knowledge resources perspective for territorial competitiveness and sustainability. The latter is defined as a pathway promoted by a plurality of public and private actors, in the for-profit and non-profit sectors, who find that relationships and social cohesion are the drivers for the construction of shared territorial governance.This study integrates an extensive literature review with data from longitudinal empirical research. Authors have adopted the methodology of qualitative research-based case study. In particular, this paper focused the analysis on a project of territorial governance promoted in the Marches region of Italy. This region was selected as a case study, because it is emblematic of the Italian context; the territory is characterized by small businesses diffused throughout the socio-economic fabric and by the proactive role taken by local governments. The perspective offers a powerful instrument for raising awareness of the gaps that local policymakers should address through their initiatives in the knowledge economy.

Role of Actors in the Processes of Sustainable Development at Local Level—Experiences From the Czech Republic

“…Social capital is especially important at local level: here it is embedded in the community, encompasses the relationships and communication patterns of actors, and is manifested in the way the community works together in practical activities and projects. As a specific factor influencing the development of rural communities, it is considered to be "soft infrastructure" necessary for local development (Demartini and Del Baldo, 2015). The results of long-term research show that "...aspects of socio-cultural nature are important for the success/failure of peripheries, for their stabilization and for the activation of endogenous resources for their further development" (Jančák et al, 2010, p. 208).…”