ABSTRACT

Institutional Structuralism draws on different social and economic institutions and seeks to mobilize them through an approach known as “managed pluralism” (Midgley, 2013). It also works as a process to promote social development for everyone. The state should usually play a key role in this process, although this is not always the case. This article analyzes a process which has been ongoing since 2007 promoted by a university institution with the Aymara Women’s Community in Peru to harmonize social welfare with economic development; taking into account the Working with People model through its three components: ethical-social, political-contextual and technical-entrepreneurial. The results show new tools for developing the institutional structuralism process through a bottom-up methodology which enables social development to be achieved.

Keywords: Institutional structuralism; social development; Aymara women; working with people; Peru.