Local Economic Development in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Role of Local Development Agencies
This paper examines the local economic development agencies, their entrepreneurial or leadership behaviour and their ability to contribute to local/regional development in the context of a transitional economy. The research employs qualitative research methodology by combining in-depth interviews and focus groups on 36 local development agencies (LDAs) and other actors ‘responsible’ for the economic development in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Inductive theory or the bottom-up model for regional development provides the conceptual structure for this research. The research identifies a number of important factors that determine the trajectory of the local/regional economic development, as well as the challenges that LDAs and other local actors are facing in one of the most unpredictable economic environments.