Es el tercer libro de la serie dedicada al desarrollo socioeconómico publicado por la Red Medamérica, una red con siete años de existencia que ha realizado ya tres simposios internacionales entre otras muchas actividades..Las contribuciones piblicadas en este libro dan cuenta de objetivos y perocupaciones comunes en Europa y América Latina, especialmente en torno a temas de desarrollo económico y social. Desde la óptica disciplinar de la Geografía, como denominador común a la mayoría de aportaciones, se analizan diferentes fenómenos socio-espaciales y, por supuesto, económicos.

Much of the scholarly and professional literature on development focuses either on the ‘macro’ level of national policies and politics or on the ‘micro’ level of devel- ment projects and household or community socio-economic dynamics. By contrast, this collection pitches itself at the ‘meso’ level with a comparative exploration of the ways in which local institutions – municipalities, local governments, city authorities, civil society networks and others – have demanded, and taken on, a greater role in planning and managing development in the Latin American region. The book’s rich empirical studies reveal that local institutions have engaged upwards, with central authorities, to shape their policy and resource environments and in turn, been pressured from ‘below’ by local actors contesting the ways in which the structures and processes of local governance are framed. The examples covered in this volume range from global cities, such as Mexico and Santiago, to remote rural areas of the Bolivian and Brazilian Amazon. As a result the book provides a deep understanding of the diversity and complexity of local governance and local development in Latin America, while avoiding the stereotyped claims about the impact of globalisation or the potential benefits of decentralisation, as frequently stated in less empirically grounded analysis.

Este libro es una miscelánea de aportaciones con ciertos elementos en común. En primer lugar todos los autores son miembros del Grupo MEDAMERICA. En segundo lugar los artículos se refieren a países latinoamericanos, México, Brasil y Bolivia. En tercer lugar coinciden en una sensibilidad común ante los numerosos problemas sociales que se registran en casi todas las regiones de Latinoamérica.

Particularly in the humanities and social sciences, festschrifts are a popular forum for discussion. The IJBF provides quick and easy general access to these important resources for scholars and students. The festschrifts are located in state and regional libraries and their bibliographic details are recorded. Since 1983, more than 639,000 articles from more than 29,500 festschrifts, published between 1977 and 2010, have been catalogued.

This book underscores the need for a rural industrial policy that promotes a structural change based on innovation, greater value added and better employment and living conditions, all in harmony with the environment.