ABSTRACT
On the basis of both theoretical and empirical works it is possible to argue that development depends upon a multiplicity of factors. Until recently great importance was attributed to specifically economic and technological factors, totally neglecting the social and institutional context within which the dynamics of development unfolded. Today numerous scholars and politicians acknowledge the crucial role played by synergic relations between all factors and actors directly and indirectly involved in a process of sustainable development (in an economic, social and environmental sense).
