Aportes de la tecnología social al desarrollo local en la parroquia Salinas de la provincia de Bolívar.

Abstract

The poverty and extreme poverty rates are among the main problems that different governments have to face, especially in remote areas far from main cities. These main cities receive more attention and, therefore, experience greater development. This is mostly to the oblivion by the different administrations toward the local. However, there are success stories, such as the one experienced in Salinas in the province of Bolívar, where a community process initiated in 1970 has succeeded in enhancing the standard of living for its citizens. The success of local development in Salinas is attributed to the utilization of endogenous resources and the utilization of social technologies. Therefore, this descriptive-explanatory research employs a qualitative case study method to analyze the contributions of social technology to the local development of Salinas in the province of Bolivar. The study identified three stages that the community process has gone through: the first stage focused on technologies aimed at improving organizational infrastructure, the second stage emphasized technologies aimed at strengthening processes, and the final stage focused on technologies aimed at enhancing and improving productive systems. Currently, the concept of social technologies, which were originally based on ideas generated by a group of people, inclusivity, and participation, is shifting towards a market-driven and competitive logic. This is partially due to the fact that decision-making in certain community enterprises is following a hierarchical management approach.