Fundamentos teóricos de la asociatividad para el diagnóstico de organizaciones locales

Abstract

Associativity is a key strategy for organizational strengthening and territorial sustainability, particularly in contexts marked by structural exclusion, weak institutions, and community fragmentation. In Latin America, local organizations play a crucial role in managing collective goods, fostering citizen participation, and building alternatives to conventional development. However, their analysis reveals theoretical and methodological gaps that hinder the design of context-sensitive diagnostic tools. This study analyzes the theoretical foundations of associativity from an interdisciplinary and multilevel perspective. Through a narrative literature review, ten key authors and four conceptual clusters were identified: collective action and cooperation; social capital in its functions, risks, and structures; organizational governance; and the symbolic, territorial, and political dimension. Based on these clusters, a theoretical operationalization matrix was constructed, linking core concepts to diagnostic dimensions applicable to local associations. The findings provide a foundation for designing mixed-method instruments (quantitative and qualitative) to evaluate organizational performance in contexts such as La Concordia (Ecuador). The study concludes that associativity must be understood as a relational, institutional, and political process, closely connected to social reproduction and place-based development.