Abstract

Rapid and extensive changes ln the Brazilian economy have accelerated the strategies of economic survival in the different markets of the national economy. ln the region of Bahia, local entrepreneurs have organized collective action as strategies for dealing à with the changes endured by the economy locally. The regional tradition continually contrasts with the new cultural patterns of conduct required by a more globalized economy and society, which have design d the restructuring of corporations, markets and organizational networks for dealing with competition. The focus of the present paper is about the relevance of co-operation and trust in order to organize collective action as a strategy to deal with economic changes through networks, where local actors find themselves in more vulnerable positions ln relation to globalized systems.