Alliances for local development success factors. Comparative experiences of Spain and Peru

<p>Alliances are formed to overcome the constraints partners face to achieve certain goals. When the goal is to promote local development, it requires the participation of stakeholders: private sector, local government, civil associations and community groups, among others. This article seeks, through the comparative analysis of three experiences of local development led by the district of Villa El Salvador (Lima - Peru), the mining company Yanacocha (Cajamarca -Peru) and the Spanish Agency for Development Iraugi Lantzen (Basque Country - Spain), to identify the success factors of cooperation agreements for local development. We believe that a better understanding of the factors associated with the success of partnerships could help those who seek the challenge of looking for possible partners, as well as those concerned with the effective management of partnerships in place. The case of Villa El Salvador shows how government support was fundamental in the establishment of the district, but the achievements of this group could not be explained without the active participation of the community. On the other hand, the experience of the company Yanacocha reminds the reader that there is still a big gap to fill in Peru in terms of the joint efforts between private enterprises and stakeholders, and that is necessary to learn from the experiences of those who have gone through part of this path. A different case is shown by the experience of the Spanish Agency Iraugi Lantzen, highlighting the challenges and opportunities that arise from a concerted action between municipal entities pursuing local development. Overall, it can be said that although there are context and situational conditions that favor the development of alliances for development, there are other factors that mediate the success of partnerships. The case studies show that the most successful cooperation experiences are those where there are key individuals that are leaders who connect personally and emotionally with each other with the purpose of alliance.