Resumen
Development from the local perspective has become in recent years under study and reflection from different disciplines, as a result of growing interest of European cohesion policy. Entities in Spain which respond more direct and practical to promote local development are the Local Development Agencies. These entities have been operating since the 90?s, financed largely by funds from the EU. This article is an analysis of these agencies in the metropolitan area of Valencia in order to know what has been their evolution and to what extent have actually contributed to local development in an area with specific characteristics such as a metropolitan area. The analysis is based on a survey of local development agents in the area as well as personal interviews with qualified informants. The main conclusions are that the key role these agencies exercised in certain municipalities particularly dynamic, including the promotion of employment, may be at risk as a result of the current crisis, which further exacerbated the problems locally.
