Local action groups: accountability, social responsibility and law

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the issues of accountability, social responsibility and law related with local action groups (LAGs) to achieve local economic and sustainable development.Design/methodology/approachThe literature review justifies the conceptual frame of the issues under discussion. Thus, on the one hand, the LEADER+ programme system statistics were used and, on the other hand, the Portuguese Government and European Union laws, regulations and official documents were used.FindingsLAGs represent civil society in its various aspects and interests, assuming many times as privileged partners of the State, strengthening the rights of individual citizens against the political and economic power. Also, the LAGs as partners have specific local conditions, such as historical, social and cultural identities, governance and geography, that should be equally considered.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of the paper show accountability limitations, but the LAG is developed as a source of indispensable and fundamental information for the decision‐making process of local sustainability.Practical implicationsLAGs sometimes, forgetting their real purpose, follow socially responsible practices, often, to apply the strict compliance with the law, regulations and norms, even if social responsibility strategies are arguably recognized as crucial to promote economic success, social and life quality, and environmental sustainability.Social implicationsThe challenges of local development in which the citizen, firms, entities and policy makers are merged need sophisticated and comprehensive strategies and socially responsible best practices to promote the welfare of the society.Originality/valueThis paper identifies case studies that highlight different strategic approaches to recognize the importance of the LAGs in the implementation of sustainable policies and social responsibility strategies. Also, different levels of accountability, social responsibility and law are applied and promoted by LAG.

The Sustainable Value Creation: A Case Study in the Brazilian Automotive Company

“…Neste cenário, a utilização de práticas ambientais favorece a geração de sinergias corporativas, estratégicas em termos de gestão organizacional e planejamento ambiental, impactando positivamente na imagem da organização (Gasbarro;Rizzi;Frey, 2012;Štěpánková, 2012). Coerentemente, as ações sociais estão positivamente relacionadas como o desempenho financeiro (Coppa;Sriramesh, 2013;Michelon;Boesso;Kumar, 2013;David;Abreu;Pinheiro, 2013), pois por meio de diversos programas na área social, a Alfa procura demonstrar a sua função social perante a sociedade, confirmando as pesquisas de Amaladoss, Manohar (2013), e Belu e Manescu (2013), sobre a importância das ações sociais corporativas.…”

“…Coerentemente, as questões de responsabilidade social também iniciaram a despontar nas estratégias empresariais, pois passaram a serem percebidas como uma forma da empresa atestar as suas ações sociais para os stakeholders e a sociedade em geral. Assim, a responsabilidade social passou a compreender o público interno e também externo à organização, sendo uma forma das empresas contribuírem para a melhoria da qualidade de vida na sociedade e o aumento de valor para o acionista (HART; MILSTEIN, 2004;ASHLEY, 2005;DAVID ABREU;PINHEIRO, 2013).…”

An Initiators' Perspective on the Continuity of Citizens' Initiatives in Rural Areas

“…In light of the shift toward the "Big Society," citizens' initiatives are often considered to be a potential way of dealing with the loss of public services in rural areas, where such services are under particular pressure (Brannan, John, and Stoker 2006;Cheshire and Woods 2009;Healey 2015;Jones and Little 2000;Shucksmith et al 2006;Thiede et al 2017). On the one hand, a number of studies have documented the benefits of citizens' initiatives, showing, for example, how such initiatives can lead to community empowerment and possibly provide alternatives to public service delivery (Bailey and Pill 2015;David, Abreu, and Pinheiro 2013;Diers 2004;Pestoff 2012;Sellick 2014;Thissen 2010;Van der Meer et al 2008;Vermeij 2015). It has been argued that compared with local governments, citizens may be better able to tailor services to local needs (Healey 2015;Kelly and Caputo 2006;Swanson 2001).…”

Pengelolaan Alokasi Dana Desa Dalam Mewujudkan Good Governance

“…Banyak studi tentang "governance" dilakukan dengan spektrum cakupan yang sangat luas. Governance banyak dikaitkan dengan kebijakan pemerintah (Astuti, 2016;Temenggung, 2016), sektor publik (Sukmadilaga, 2015), hukum (Rasul, 2009;Dercon, 2007;David, 2013), dan pelayanan publik (Tomuka, 2012;Prahono, 2015). Studi-studi tersebut lebih menekankan aspek makro sekaligus menunjukkan kelangkaan studi good governance yang bersifat mikro pada kekuasaan di tingkat desa, misalnya yang dilakukan oleh Institute of Research and Empowerment (Pramusinto, 2011).…”