A European Perspective on Engaging and Supporting Civil Society Organisations in Local Territorial Development

George Mihael Manea – University of Bucharest, Romania

Abstract: In an inter-connected world, having strong interdependencies, the transfer of know-how represents a blueprint for development. In a transition from global to local, in order to stimulate the challenges of local development, it is paramount to understand how to act, to connect civ­il society with local authorities, and to create a dynamic and multi-stake­holder dialogue. Development at the local level could lead to a more en­gaged civil society and more predictable governance from the local au­thorities; for example, developing a comprehensive set of policies could contribute to a food-secure population, but also tackle issues related to transparency and accountability. The practical experience of the author in Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe will bring an innovative and origi­nal approach to complement the existing literature with the reality of the project cycle on the ground, in two specific areas such as agriculture and good governance.

7th International Scientific Conference – EMAN 2023 – Economics and Management: How to Cope With Disrupted Times, Ljubljana, Slovenia, March 23, 2023, CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS, published by: Association of Economists and Managers of the Balkans, Belgrade, Serbia; ISBN 978-86-80194-69-1, ISSN 2683-4510, DOI: https://doi.org/10.31410/EMAN.2023

Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission. 

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Guiding Interview Protocol

Subject 1, representative of the NGO Federation of Sao Tome and Principe, interview held on 12 January 2016, Sao Tome and Principe.

Subject 2, member of the Association “Observatoire Gabonais”, interview held on 19 February 2016, Libreville, Gabon.

Subject 3, former representative of the EU Delegation to Gabon for Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe and ECCAS, interview held on 12 August 2016, Brussels, Belgium.

Subject 4, Romanian diplomat with vast experience on the African continent, interview held on 28 August 2016, Bucharest, Romania.