Local economic development strategies for the Municipality of Girardota

Abstract

Endogenous economic growth is a paradigm shift in the conception of regional development in an attempt to explain wealth accumulation and creation and the role of local stakeholders in these processes. This article proposes local economic development strategies for the Municipality of Girardota (Department of Antioquia, Colombia) derived from participatory research that included an analysis to identify economic vocations, objectives and strategies that can be implemented with programs and projects. The proposed strategies aim to solve four fundamental problems in the district: unemployment, poor quality and pertinence of the education system, low competitiveness of key sectors of the local economy, and scarce citizen participation. Our conclusions reveal the importance of actual participation of the community in the creation of development strategies that are in line with the interests and needs of different local stakeholders.

Keywords

• endogenous economic growth
• local stakeholders
• citizen participation
• local development strategies