Regionalização, desenvolvimento e governância

The speech on regionalisation cannot be separated from either the principles that justify it or the models proposed for its implementation. While not constituting a condition ‘sine qua non’ for its implementation, regionalisation has favoured developmental processes and promoted the representative democracy. The endogenous development, as nowadays understood, must meet the physical, economic, social, cultural and environmental rights in a particular territory. It is always striving for a spatial redistribution of the investment as a means to achieve the much desired territorial cohesion, without which it is not possible to achieve in a socially cohesive manner. This same model, being endogenous in nature, needs to be participatory. In this sense, when the model is associated with regionalisation, representative democracy is assumed as a developmental factor. Thus regionalisation favours participatory democracy, allowing public services and voters to be in greater proximity. Therefore when voting, the public are given greater power in deciding who will represent them and are more accountable for the political power. This enables the strengthening of citizens rights, decentralization of powers and a greater advantage in combating bureaucracy.