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

Abstract

In this text we are interested in the preconditions for, and opportunities provided by sustainable development at local level in non-metropolitan areas, i. e., in rural areas and villages. These areas are generally seen as having an important role in achieving sustainability. The literature review highlights the general principles of endogenous development with an emphasis on local resources including human potential and social capital, and the Czech context. In practice, the empowerment and cooperation of regional actors is crucial for the sustainable transition of rural areas; an analysis of the local situation was thus conducted from the perspective of social capital. Research primarily questioned the role of local actors in different areas related to sustainable development, their relationships and involvement in sustainability processes, as well as deficiencies in social conditions creating barriers to sustainable development. The research methods selected to answer these questions reflected the context-specific, scientifically-overlooked character of the theme of this research where emerging phenomena were at the center of our interest. A survey conducted with representatives of the National Network of Local Action Groups (LAGs) mapped the situation in 50 (out of 180) LAGs in the Czech Republic (28 % of the total number). Data were analyzed quantitatively (single and multiple-choice questions), in combination with qualitative methods which were used to transform and aggregate responses into conceptual categories which were monitored for frequency (to observe majority opinion). The diversity of local actors, their relationships and roles in the sustainable development processes was thus illustrated. A snapshot of actors' current involvement in specific areas of sustainable development was compared with their potential involvement in these areas illustrating the importance of social capital which is not always recognized in relevant policy documents. The engagement of these diverse actors in sustainability transition processes is less evident: in most of the categories of change, the role of public administration prevails. According to the respondents, these changes that would ensure a sustainable future of the regions are often not taking place. While some of these findings may be specific to geographically-defined regional conditions and the Czech historical context, the research raised theoretically relevant questions concerning the role of social capital in sustainability processes.

Local Action Groups and Sustainable Development Agenda: Case Study of Regional Perspectives From Czechia

“…Our research, novel because of its particular focus on the perception of the SDGs by LAGs, may be a starting point for a future in-depth dialogue concerning specificity (of the regions) vs. universality (of the commonly agreed SDGs). We consider this to be an important step toward the analysis of the role of non-state actors in sustainable regional development framed by the New SDGs Development Paradigm (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2020)-the initial endeavor in this respect is introduced by a complementary article in a special issue (Dlouhá et al, 2022). More research is necessary in this field to shed light on the topic investigated by this exploratory study.…”

“…Similarly, the opportunity of covering various specific topics in the questionnaire is balanced by the lack of dialogue necessary for clarification and in-depth explanation, which would be possible only in qualitative interviews. We tried to limit the potential shortcomings of our method by cooperating with NN LAGs in the pre-testing of the questionnaire and including some openended questions, which are used in the analysis presented in other outputs of the research (Dlouhá et al, 2021(Dlouhá et al, , 2022 and, in one specific case, also mentioned in the discussion.…”

“…LAGs are thus important actors of rural governance, which not only develop communities through networking and supporting the realization of their own projects (often funded from EU and national grants) but also work as a funding agency distributing finances from EU and national governments as well. Their fields of interest are very wide, including support for local businesses, environmental issues, or social cohesion [see also Section Context of Czech LAGs for some Czech examples or Dlouhá et al (2022) in this special issue].…”

“…The main results presented in this paper are based on the answers to the closed questions. The open questions were analyzed mainly in the duel papers, concerning the role of various local actors in the development, and the importance of local knowledge and education (Dlouhá et al, 2021(Dlouhá et al, , 2022. The data were collected from the representatives of the LAGs; the questionnaire was disseminated through the NN LAGs (see Section Data Collection, Sample, and Analysis for details).…”

Sustentabilidad De Las Unidades Productivas Agrícolas en La Cordillera Occidental De Los Andes Ecuatorianos

“…The evaluation of the sustainability of an agricultural system must define physical, economic, environmental, social and political elements (Cruz et al, 2016;Samian et al, 2015;Silva et al, 2020); as well as the involvement of all actors (Carmona et al, 2013;Dlouhá et al, 2022) in a way that reflects their reality in the area. There are several methodologies for the construction and evaluation of sustainability, but their application is complex due to their different dimensions (Sarandón, 2002;Sarandón et al, 2006) and the holistic need for the analysis of different simultaneous dimensions in a productive system (Sarandón and Flores, 2009).…”