Diego Andrés CARREÑO DUEÑAS
School of Mines, National University of Colombia (Universidad Nacional de Colombia), Medellin, Colombia; Professor, School of Industrial Management, Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia (Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia), Duitama, Colombia.
dicarrenod@unal.edu.co, diego.carreno@uptc.edu.co
Walter Lugo RUIZ CASTAÑEDA
Professor, Department of Organizational Engineering, School of Mines, National University of Colombia (Universidad Nacional de Colombia), Medellin Colombia.
wlruizca@unal.edu.co
Abstract
The evolution of the main theories that have shaped Sustainable Regional Development (SRD) is traced in this paper, with the progressive incorporation of economic, social, environmental, and institutional dimensions showing how it is configured as a complex phenomenon. Based on this conceptual foundation, the study links the analysis of SRD to the Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) framework and, within this approach, to Social Network Analysis (SNA) as a tool for modelling interactions among regional stakeholders. Finally, it introduces a correlation between the resulting regional network metrics and the Departmental Innovation Index (IDIC) indicators for Colombia’s regions, offering an alternative perspective for analysing regional disparities.
Keywords: Sustainable Regional Development, Divergence, Complex Adaptive Systems, Social Network Analysis
JEL classification: O20, R11
pp. 85-99