Territorial Development and Action Research

When collaborative development meets New Public Governance: The case of Etorkizuna Eraikiz Territorial Development Lab in Gipuzkoa

“…The most comprehensive framework of ARTD is the co-generative framework developed by Karlsen and Larrea (2014). Figure 1 describes the cogenerative cyclical process that takes place between researchers and policymakers.…”

“…Currently, a range of different logics, rationales and lines of argument call for interactive and networked forms of governance in territorial development (Barca et al, 2012;Karlsen & Larrea, 2014;Laranja, 2012;OECD, 2010;Pike et al, 2007). One of the strongest and -in our viewmost fundamental arguments for this need derives from the acknowledgement of the contested nature of development.…”

“…Although sometimes presented as a rational and value-free process, territorial development is a highly political activity. Regional development takes place in complex contexts in which diverse and conflicting visions about the nature and the goals of development exist (Karlsen, 2010;Karlsen & Larrea, 2014;Pike et al, 2007;Sotarauta, 2005). Thus, development is strongly normative: what constitutes development is dependent on the contexts and the notions that people and groups have about it and what they judge to be priorities (Bristow, 2010;Pike et al, 2007).…”

“…Moreover, regional economies are multiscalar spaces where not only public and private actors but also different multi-level administrative levels interact and where a high density of institutions with diverging interests are involved in policymaking and steering regional development (Karlsen, 2010). The multiple agents, organisations and practices within territories make certain that the power, knowledge and resources for territorial development are distributed and dispersed throughout this myriad of actors who have to continuously dialogue and negotiate (Karlsen & Larrea, 2014;Sotarauta, 2005). Consequently, in order to develop territorial strategies and bring about collective action, it is necessary to establish governance mechanisms that allow dialogue, communication and cooperation among the different actors involved in territorial development (Alburquerque, Costamagna, & Ferraro, 2008;Karlsen & Larrea, 2014;Pike et al, 2007).…”

“…Since political science underwent the so-called shift from government to governance more than two decades ago, the idea that horizontal and cooperative collective problem-solving strategies should replace traditional top-down governing approaches has pervaded many academic fields and practices (Klijn & Koppenjan, 2016;Pollitt & Hupe, 2011). This governance discourse has also permeated territorial development theory and practice, where a range of different reasons support the concept that governing modes moving away from control-based forms of steering are key for place-based territorial development (Barca, McCann, & Rodríguez-Pose, 2012;Karlsen & Larrea, 2014;Laranja, 2012;OECD, 2010;Pike, Rodríguez-Pose, & Tomaney, 2007).…”