Abstract

A precise relation is established between the Stelle-West formulation of the Mac Dowell-Mansouri approach to a gauge theory of gravity and the approach based on a gauged Wess-Zumino-Witten term. In particular, it is shown that a consistent truncation of the latter correspond to the former. A brief review of the Lovelock-Chern-Simons motivation behind the gauged WZW ones is also done.