Regional cooperation and local and regional development : a comparative analysis of the Coffee Region (Columbia) and O'Higgins (Chile)

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to conceptualise and explain the evolution of regional cooperation at a sub-national scale, and its influence in local and regional development. It contributes to the studies on regional cooperation and local and regional development, by understanding regional cooperation as an adaptable process shaped by its context, and introducing the otherwise neglected experiences from the Global South-Latin American urban and rural regions to the debate. The study addresses the gaps created by the predominant focus upon post-industrial, Global North experiences, emphasising in cities rather than regions integrated by urban and rural areas in research on regional cooperation and local and regional development. Examining the case studies of the Coffee Region (Colombia) and O’Higgins (Chile), this thesis argues that regional cooperation can be conceptualised as a context dependant process of voluntary and concerted work amongst diverse regional actors. Regional cooperation plays a crucial role in reshaping local and regional development models at the local scale, while local actors involved in regional cooperation adapt to the regional context and institutional environment. Regional cooperation appears not just as an alternative to improve local and regional development, but also as a mechanism that interacts with wider local institutional processes. This research identifies the different kinds and forms of regional cooperation, and how these are created and adapted to each context. It explains the relationship between regional cooperation and local institutions, and the relationship between regional cooperation and local and regional development, emphasising the role that regional cooperation plays in shaping bottom-up approaches to development, while helping regions to adapt and contest top-down neoliberal economic policies.