The Social Economy in Bolivia: Indigeneity, Solidarity, and Alternatives to Capitalism (original) (raw)
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Political practice and dimensions of solidarity economy: a case study from Cochabamba, Bolivia
7th EMES Selected Conference Papers, 2019
In this paper, I examine the political dimensions of solidarity economy and the example of a grassroots solidarity economy market, ECO Feria, in Cochabamba, Bolivia. I ask how actors practise their political dimensions as part of the solidarity economy movement. I analyse Ecoferia in relation to Gibson-Graham’s (2006) framework for community economy and post-capitalist politics and some views on politicisation in the solidarity economy movement. My research framework focuses on solidarity economy that is a concept used in many Latin American countries. Carneiro (2011) writes about some political aspects of solidarity economy and, for example, Hillenkamp (2014) has approached also political processes of solidarity economy in Bolivia through case studies in El Alto. Solidarity economy literature, however, lacks some of the comprehensiveness about politicisation that Gibson-Graham (2006) offer in their writing about community economy. Miller (2013) juxtaposes community and solidarity economy by treating them both as suggestions for radically democratic economic organising and suggesting that solidarity economy is one possibility for practical implementation of the more abstract ideas of community economy. I have turned to the ideas of post-capitalist politics to shed light on and broaden the discussion on the politicised aspects of solidarity economy. I argue, in the lines of Carneiro (2011), that solidarity economy has a focus on repoliticising economy since one central characteristic of solidarity economy is the attention to both economic and political issues. In Bolivia, solidarity economy has been gaining interest in the past 20 years. My case analysis is based on ethnographic fieldwork in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where I have spent in total eight months in three periods between 2016–2018. My data consists of interviews, events, observations, and notes on discussions as well as documents and photos. After transcribing hand-written notes and recorded interviews, I have analysed the materials thematically using atlas.ti. I have used both predetermined theory-based and data-based themes in my analysis, but this paper is mostly based on predetermined codes that cover the research participants’ motivating factors and values and different aspects of organising and activities in different levels of the society. This paper presents the first results of my PhD research about solidarity economy activities and their impact on democratisation in Bolivia. With my research, I hope to offer new information about the political nature of solidarity economy in Bolivia by analysing different dimensions of politicisation through Gibson-Graham’s framework.
Bolivia's Proceso de Cambio: Adjusting the Ideological Paradigm from Social to Economic
Bolivian Studies Journal, 2019
Bolivia’s political transition in 2006 represented more than just a transfer of power. It also marked the arrival of a new political, economic and social paradigm. The newly elected leader (Evo Morales Ayma) and his political party, the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) brought with them an ambitious agenda for social change. Most of the initial efforts were aimed at responding to electoral promises and the demands from the myriad of social movements that supported Morales’ ticket. As time progressed, the ideological components of the model were refined and transformed from an antineoliberal rhetoric to a comprehensive agenda of state reform. Part of the ideological components were rooted in the notion of “Vivir Bien” [Living Well], which in essence is a balanced approach for development considering human wellbeing in harmony with mother nature. The political challenge, however, has been the transformation of this holistic approach into a practical one and the policy implications that this entails ‒a particularly difficult issue in a country with weak institutional settings and limited state capacity. This article argues that although there have been many gains, particularly in reorienting the notion of the welfare state and in key economic and social areas, the model is still highly dependent on a neo-patrimonial state that relies heavily on a few commodities to support a growing social agenda.
2015
This dissertation seeks to understand the conceptualization, structure, main benefits and challenges, and institutional environment for the Social Economy (SE) and Community Economic Development (CED) in Bolivia. In particular, the research seeks to understand if and how the SE and CED support shifts of indigenous peoples from spaces of marginalization to places of participation in economic, political, and socio-cultural terms. Bolivia provides a relevant context for exploring the intersections between questions of indigenous-led development, CED and the SE. A new constitution, adopted in February 2009, enshrines indigenous rights to traditional territories and self-governance; decentralization of resources and decision-making to local levels; and an economic development model that includes ‘social and community forms of economic organization’. Field research explored three cases of collective economic initiatives in rural indigenous communities in the Bolivian highlands within the context of changing local and national governance relationships. The research shows that the particularities of SE conceptualization and practice in Bolivia relate to the country’s indigenous and colonial heritage. There is significant variation in the structures, activities, and scales between the three cases, indicating heterogeneity in indigeneity and a corollary need to move past the traditional-modern dichotomy that shapes much discourse about indigenous peoples. The case studies demonstrate that SE and CED approaches can support improvements in local well-being, measured in social, economic, and cultural terms. Local institutions such as campesino unions and municipal governments are actively supporting the SE but are hindered by national policies and lack of capacity. Finally, place matters to the potential, form, and agency of development, since the culture, history, and institutions and web of interactions in each place can shape, support or impede efforts to foster the SE and CED. The Bolivian examples provide learnings that can be generalized to development theory and practice in general. Although the SE manifests in different forms in different places, it emerges for similar reasons–to address uneven development caused by the social and economic exclusion of particular places and groups of people at the local, national, and international levels. Previously colonized people can use SE and CED approaches to foster increased independence and collective well-being.
Social Movements and Development in Bolivia, Hydra Journal of Social Sciences
Social Movements and Development in Bolivia, 2013
Providing us with a historicisation and contextualization of Bolivia’s development of an alternative development model to neoliberalism, this paper engages with the rise in prominence of the country’s social movements and the concurrent rise of Evo Morales’ MAS party to power during the period of 2000-2005. This approach, the author argues, reflects a neostructuralist take on development, governance and political economy. The relationship between the State and Bolivia’s social movements is established and analysed, with the centrality of the latter receiving special attention. Overall, this work provides both an important grounding and analysis in the forces that have shaped the Bolivian national agenda under the MAS.
The Incorporation of Social Organizations under the MAS in Bolivia
Latin American Perspectives, 2020
By drawing on the theoretical framework of the second incorporation of heterogeneous social organizations by progressive governments through informal contestation and/or technocratic implementation of their demands in Latin America, this article argues that the first presidential term of Evo Morales in Bolivia (2006-2009) was marked by the incorporation of combative social movements through both a multidimensional co-optation of movements and the technocratic competition of the central movement demands for the nationalization of gas and the rewriting of the constitution through a constituent assembly. However, by 2010, this incorporation had stripped social movements of their ability to mobilize for change and the political conjuncture had shifted, making the government less dependent on its social bases to maintain political stability. This simultaneously transformed movements into defensive movements protecting the gains from the previous period and state-social-movement relations into informal contestatory regimes in which movements could only struggle against proposed political agendas. En base a un marco teórico que abarca la segunda incorporación de organizaciones sociales heterogéneas por parte de gobiernos progresistas a través de la contestación informal y/o la implementación tecnocrática de sus demandas en América Latina, un análisis del proyecto político de Evo Morales en Bolivia sostiene que su primer mandato presiden-cial se vio caracterizado por la incorporación de movimientos sociales combativos a través de una cooptación multidimensional de dichos movimientos y la competencia tecnocrática de las demandas del movimiento central en torno a la nacionalización del gas y la modifi-cación de la constitución por una asamblea constituyente. Sin embargo, para 2010, esta incorporación había despojado a los movimientos sociales de su capacidad de movilizarse a favor del cambio y la coyuntura política había cambiado, haciendo que el gobierno dependiera menos de sus bases sociales para mantener la estabilidad política. Esto trans-formó a los movimientos en entidades defensivas dedicadas a proteger las ganancias del período anterior y las relaciones entre el estado y los movimientos sociales en regímenes informales de impugnación dentro de los cuales los movimientos mismos sólo podían luchar contra las agendas políticas propuestas.
The Social and Solidarity Economy in Ecuador: opportunities and challenges
Although increasing attention has been paid in recent years to the importance of the social and solidarity economy in Latin America, there has been little written specifically about the Andean region. This study contributes to this knowledge gap through an exploration of the social and solidarity economy model in Ecuador. The research offers insight into the historical factors that have contributed to the development of the social and solidarity economy and identifies the different institutional environments in which the sector operates highlighting the opportunities and challenges that exist.
Community Development in 'Post-Neoliberal Bolivia': Decolonization or Alternative Modernization?
Latin America is at a pivotal moment, as many nations reject neoliberalism as a tool for development and search for alternative approaches. Two competing counter-ideologies may have the potential to reshape Latin American society: alternative modernizations and decolonization. In this study, we examine the extent to which these ideologies have become influential in Bolivian community development. Drawing on interviews with Bolivian development professionals, we examine community development projects deemed successes and failures to determine whether they reflect neoliberal, alternative modernization, or decolonial ideologies. We find that community development projects deemed successful tend to follow alternative modernization and decolonial ideologies, while projects deemed failures tend to follow neoliberal ideologies. Our results demonstrate concrete ways in which transformative approaches to community development – which are often depicted as nascent or unrealized in the literature – are being implemented successfully in Bolivia. We also explore some limitations of the alternative modernization and decolonial approaches for those seeking transformative approaches to community development.
Bolivian Studies Journal, 2013
Abstract On 18th December 2012, Evo Morales celebrated his seventh anniversary as president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. In 2005, this Aymara coca growers’ union leader was elected for the first time, with the support of social movements and, in particular, of the peasant and indigenous sectors, inaugurating a moment of political transition that raised many expectations for an in-depth transformation of the state-civil societal relationship. A complex reshaping that, as the popular belief suggests, was going to pass through a highly delicate moment: the seventh year. Relying upon an in-depth empirical research on social and land conflicts in Bolivia, this work aims to analyze the revitalization of new corporative struggles among collective rural actors (indigenous vs. peasant) in light of the recent institutional and normative reforms. The latter have favored a reconfiguration of the relationship between the state and social sectors, inaugurating a new phase of fragmentation and conflict. Resumen El 18 diciembre de 2012, Evo Morales celebró su séptimo aniversario como presidente del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia. Este líder cocalero aymara fue elegido en 2005 con el apoyo de los principales movimientos sociales, inaugurando un momento de transición política que generó muchas expectativas por una profunda transformación de la relación entre Estado y sociedad civil. Una relación evidentemente compleja que, como lo sugiere la creencia popular, está por entrar en un momento muy delicado: el séptimo año. A partir de un estudio empírico de los conflictos sociales y por la tierra en Bolivia, este trabajo da cuenta de la revitalización de nuevas luchas corporativas entre actores colectivos rurales (indígenas vs. campesinos) a la luz de las recientes reformas institucionales y normativas. Estas últimas han favorecido un proceso de reconfiguración en la relación entre Estado y sectores sociales, abriendo paso a una fase de fragmentación y conflicto.
Public Policies Addressed to the Social and Solidarity Economy in South America. Toward a New Model?
Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary …, 2013
Since the beginning of this century, most South American countries have modified their position within society, challenging the self-regulating nature of markets and intervening in social issues. This approach supports the transition toward a “third-generation” model for the social policy field, one in which Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) acquires a relevant role. In the last few years, many public policies have included SSE in their design, with the purpose of addressing the key issues of developing societies: unemployment and poverty. This article analyzes the main regulatory dimensions and conditionings of the national programs that promote SSE in South American countries and aim to enhance social inclusion and employment. Particularly, the article examines the most illustrative social programs implemented at the national level in Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay and Venezuela in the last decade.