Local development is a relatively young theory in social sciences based on the identification and use of the resources and endogenous potentialities of a community, neighbourhood, city, municipality or equivalent.
It seeks to improve the conditions of life of local population by means of actions concerted between the different local agents, social, public and private, towards an efficient and sustainable use of the existent endogenous resources.
[4] In this approach, the importance of social capital and the links of cooperation with external agents to capture human, monetary and technical resources contribute to the local development strategy.
[5] There exist many international institutions (Foundation Dag Hammarskjöld, FLACSO-Academic Headquarters Guatemala and Costa Rica, the Centre for Local Development of the OCDE) and other of national character in different countries devoted to improve the conditions of life of local spaces by means of this approach of development.
Among some authors whose work influences this approach can be found Manfred Max-Neef.