Democratic participatory networks and governance processes in Sicily

Abstract

Democratic participation improves the chances of success of local development policies. New governance processes that directly involve the actors who inhabit the territories are necessary for the challenges that sustainable growth requires. Therefore, the feedback on the pre-existing conditions of cooperation and coexistence is essential for carrying out actions with a place-based logic of development. The Innovation Helix Model allows us to understand the relational dynamics and support territorial strategies in enhancing innovation processes that contemplate the relationship between civil society, public and private institutions, and the natural environment from the perspective of a democratic approach. In this way, ecosystemic innovation is a dynamic network of territorial actors interconnected within a delimited geographical space. This study proposes an innovative way of investigating territorial relationship networks. It examines and describes the network deriving from the policies implemented in an internal area of Sicily. The governance processes implemented through partnership agreements between local actors over ten years have created relationships measured and described through Social Network Analysis (SNA), specifically with Affiliation Networks and Community Detection with a bipartite structure. The study moves towards an innovative territory analysis, looking for the relational links and providing references for building bottom-up policies with greater awareness.