Territorial dynamics in small cantons of Ecuador : Comparative study of 4 cantons with population between 20000 and 50000 inhabitants

The thesis examines the territorial dynamics of four small cantons of Ecuador with populations ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 people. There is a great disparity between cantons in the country; small cantons generate little production and are the poorest ones. Consequently, research into the factors that cause territorial dynamics in small cantons and can enhance territorial development processes is crucial.Two coastal cantons (Jama and Montalvo) and two highlands’ cantons (Cotacachi and Baños) were researched. The cantons were selected from a total of 221, based on their rate of population growth between the 2001 and 2010 censuses: Two surpass the national average in terms of population growth, two have slower growth rates than the national average. The territories have significant differences in terms of their economic and institutional conditions.The study of territorial dynamics is an understudied topic in cantonal planning processes, despite its importance in each canton's distinctive territorial development commitment. This absence gave rise to the following research question: What are the factors that might explain disparities in territorial development dynamics in small cantons?And the hypothesis: The factors that explain differences in territorial development dynamics in small cantons include demographic, economic, and related to the importance of small cities, social capital, and institutionality.As a conclusion, the four factors generate distinct dynamics in the cantons. Complexity is an appropriate framework for the study of territories because of the linkages of numerous factors that result in distinct territorial dynamics. According to this perspective, territories are complex systems which in turn, links factor subsystems. Finding the factors that stimulate these dynamics - unique to each territory - allows for the implementation of developmental efforts that break the cycle of poverty and depopulation.The interdependence of the studied four factors reflects the transformations and changes that imply the well-being of the inhabitants of the territory. The factors studied interact with one another; the economic sector has an impact on the demographic factor, population growth and migration; the small city plays a role in the generation of an economic and social dynamic of the territory and is essential within it because it dynamizes markets, functions, institutions, flows of goods and services, trade, installed infrastructure, and cultural activities; and the rural-urban relationship determines a conformation that influences the economic dynamics; finally, social capital explain dynamics of territorial development in just one canton.This is a mixed-methods study that allows the researcher to investigate several territorial issues within small cantons, using not only a quantitative approach but also appreciating the perspectives of the population, forming a triangle, and meeting various interests and representations.