The deep transformations undergone by Western countries after the economic crisis have positioned the local economic development in the centre of the productive restructuring verified in many territories, which appears as a possible way of progress for some rural areas with an endogenous potential. The emergency of initiatives linked to this development pattern, usually strongly related to the industrial dynamism, requires the concurrence of many factors – economic and non economic – as well as a great collective effort – according to the flexible, decentralized and participative nature of that pattern - in which the living forces of the area, where are involved the organisations which configure the Social Economy. The main goal of this paper is to show, from a theoretical approach, the relevance of the Social Economy as an instrument for local development. Taking into account this objective, in this paper we describe, first of all, some basic features which characterize the strategy of the local development as a restructuring factor; secondly, some general aspects of the Social Economy in Spain; and finally, it is analysed the role of the Social Economy – as a “endogenous resource” – in the territorial development, through the recognition of the links and synergies that job generation, the boost of human capital and the cooperative behaviour, which are inherent to Social Economy organisations, in dealing with the local/rural development.

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