http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1918-2273
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ABSTRACT
This article evaluates the previous experiences of Local Agenda 21 (LA21) in Portugal and Brazil, in order to identify factors hindering implementation and how its legacy might contribute to a localized Agenda 2030. Grounded on comparative analysis of LA21 applied research, it includes questionnaire surveys and a review of reports and action plans, in addition to statements collected from informal interviews with national authorities. LA21 outcomes seem to have been adversely affected by structural constraints arising from economic difficulties, and more specifically from inherited centralist traditions of local governance. Despite the fact that aspects such as community engagement in decision-making and the safeguarding of the local commons have been on the LA21 agenda ever since the Earth Summit (1992), our results show that actual achievements in these areas are meager. Nevertheless, LA21 planted the seeds of participative, bottom-up, and transformative development in local communities.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. Built on the MDG successes, the new development Agenda of the UN firmly re-engages all countries (developed and developing) and all areas (socioeconomic and environmental) toward a more sustainable world (UN General Assembly, Citation2015).
2. Including schemes already closed, more than 70% of Portuguese municipalities have undergone some kind of LA21 scheme.
3. Beginning on the eve of WWII, both countries had periods of authoritarian regimes called “Estado Novo” (“New State”): Portugal had the longest lasting regime (1933–1974), while the Brazilian rule was shorter (1933–1945). However, Brazil had an additional 20 years of military dictatorship (1965–1985). There is speculation among political scientists about the influence of the Portuguese party model in Brazil after 1975. Since then, democracies in both countries may have prioritized immediate corporate interests over long-term approaches to common needs.