Local economic development is one of the pillars which are necessary in order to address more profoundly the processes of decentralisation and regionalisation, as a public necessity, that is, a part of public policy in local and national government agendas. This view of development implies a territorial focus, based on endogenous resources and obeying environmental sustainability criteria. In turn, this view of local development must be constructed through public participation, it must strengthen decentralisation and it must involve an integrated vision of the territory, through participatory territorial planning. There is no doubt that this new view addresses the challenge of social inclusion and gender equality.
