In this field of research we seek to link scientific and expert knowledge with practice and activities carried out in the public sphere.
These activities are mainly projects, which additionally try to integrate social transformation by applying said knowledge.
Our areas of research in this field are:
- Planning model of the public sphere
- The LEADER approach and its adaptation to Latin America
- Governance and regional decentralization
This research areas is the one with the longest history, initiated more than 25 years ago with various scientific partnerships and collaboration with universities (UCLA and Berkeley) in the United States. In the field of planning and management in the public sphere, the objective is to enhance political organization and contribute to the introduction of innovations and improvements at the partnering institutions, mainly in rural / local developmental politics.
Work in this area involves identifying the components, which form continually different planning models. This helps to understand the different roles played by each of the actors involved in the processes: politicians, planning technicians, as well as civil society and businesses. The risks and opportunities of each planning model are studied as well according to the geographical, political and sectoral context, as well as the elements needed to establish the planning model. Under the same premise we work to identify and characterize successful practices that aid the application to other contexts.
In particular, the different European instruments and policies in the field of regional development and their adaptation to Latin America.
