Socioeconomic development from the perspective of leaders: the case of the municipality of Assis Chateaubriand, PR

Abstract

Research on socioeconomic development is more relevant in countries of continental dimensions such as Brazil, where each region has particularities and distinctions that must be investigated and understood in order to better understand local and regional realities to plan and build its own specific projects to develop from this knowledge. Another important aspect in relation to development projects is the role of local and regional leaders, their perceptions, visions and skills in relation to the theme, in view of the role that such actors should assume. The aim of this study was to investigate and analyze the relationship between local socioeconomic development and the perspective of business, political and community leaders in the municipality of Assis Chateaubriand in the Western region of Paraná State. The theoretical basis was development grounded on local characteristics, regional peculiarities and specificities of each community. This is the basic concept of so-called Local Development. Interviews were conducted with twenty-five local leaders in the second half of 2021, in a non-probabilistic sample. The approach was qualitative, using the interview with data collection method. The results indicated a strong perspective for strengthening economic development in the municipality, but a great concern in relation to social development.

Keywords
socioeconomic development; leaders; local development