How does PACA work in practice?
PACA is a set of tools to come up with a diagnostic of the competitive advantages and disadvantages of a locality, and with concrete, practical proposals to stimulate the local or regional economy.
PACA starts with a kick-off workshop with the local stakeholders, followed by a series of interviews with local players (firms, business associations, supporting institutions, local government, and others), and mini-workshops with groups of local actors. Depending on the size and diversity of the locality, this takes between one and two weeks.
The diagnostic and the proposals are elaborated and presented immediately afterwards. The presentation includes a moderated discussion with the local stakeholders. After the initial diagnostic, the external consultants are prepared to conduct a planning workshop with local actors. Local actors take responsibility for the implementation of agreed activities. The external consultants are prepared to offer, on a limited scale, subsequent support.
PACA is based on concepts such as
- systemic competitiveness,
- Michael Porter’s competitive advantage concept,
- cluster development,
- various concepts of local economic development
- actor-oriented and policy network concepts which have emerged from recent research in political science.
PACA employs several tools which have been developed in the context of participatory learning and action. Workshops are normally conducted using the Metaplan visualization method. Tools such as mapping, life-line, and four-field matrixes are used to structure discussions.
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