Bolivia: USAID Out, Morales In For Re-Election Bid (NACLA)
Emily Achtenberg, NACLA, Rebel Currents, Link to original article, 11 May 2013 On May 1, President Evo Morales expelled USAID from Bolivia for allegedly fomenting divisions within the country’s social movements in order to destabilize his government. The announcement came just days after Bolivia’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled that Morales can run for a third presidential term in … Read more
Bolivian child workers fight for their right to work
By Sara Shahriari for Deutsche Welle. Link to original article, 12 April 2013 Interviews with members of the Union of Child and Adolescent Workers of Bolivia (UNATsBO) reveal some of the reasons why children in Bolivia work and the kinds of conditions they have to work in. These children are fighting for their right to work because they need … Read more
Bolivia: The Unfinished Business of Land Reform (NACLA)
Emily Achtenberg, NACLA, Rebel Currents, Link to original article, 1 April 2013 Land reform in Bolivia, and the promise of land redistribution from wealthy latifundistas and agrobusiness elites to poor farmers and indigenous communities, has been a hallmark of President Evo Morales’s administration. Recent data from the National Agrarian Reform Institute (INRA) provide a useful picture of what the Morales government … Read more
From Conflict to Collaboration: An Innovative Approach to Reducing Coca Cultivation in Bolivia (IJSD)
By Kathryn Ledebur and Coletta A. Youngers for Stability: International Journal of Security & Development Abstract: Upon his presidential election, Bolivian coca grower leader Evo Morales adopted a policy of promoting consensual coca reduction through social control, a sophisticated coca monitoring system, and economic development. That strategy is paying off. In 2011, coca cultivation decreased by … Read more
New law mandates harsh penalties and broad services to address violence against women in Bolivia (AIN)
By Andean Information Network. Link to original article, 21 March 2013 On March 9th 2013 the Bolivian government passed a new comprehensive and progressive law to combat violence against women. The law includes preventative measures, wide-ranging services to survivors of abuse, and severe penalties for violence against women. The law represents a great advance from previous legislation, which … Read more
Extractive Industries in Bolivia (BIF)
Bolivia Information Forum Read the Special Edition Bulletin on Extractive Industries, March 2013 1. Thinking about extractives: the contribution of Eduardo Gudynas Of those who have written about extractives and extractive industries in recent years, few have been more influential than Eduardo Gudynas, a Uruguayan researcher at the Centro Latinoamericano de Ecología Social (CLAES). The Bolivia Information Forum thought it useful to … Read more
Economic Growth with More Equality: Learning From Bolivia (NACLA)
Emily Achtenberg, NACLA, Rebel Currents, Link to original article, 15 February 2013 Until recently, conventional economic wisdom held that sustained economic growth in any society could only be achieved at the expense of income equality. Today, even free market disciples like The Economist recognize that these goals are not contradictory—and that growing inequality, in fact, is an impediment to … Read more
Bolivia Bulletin February 2013 (BIF)
Bolivia Information Forum, Link to February 2013 bulletin 1. Gubernatorial elections in the Beni On Sunday 20 January elections were held for Governor of the Beni, one of the largest departments in size, yet one of the smallest in population (425,780 according to last November’s census). Carmelo Lens, for a right-wing coalition called Primero el Beni, won 52.27% of the vote, with Jessica … Read more
From Water Wars to Water Scarcity: Bolivia’s Cautionary Tale (ReVista)
Emily Achtenberg, ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America, Link to original article, Winter 2013 When Bolivian President Evo Morales arrived at the new Uyuni airport last August and found no water running from the tap, he publicly reprimanded and promptly dismissed his Minister of Water. As it happened, the pipes were merely frozen. The incident underscores the critical—and … Read more
Bolivia news briefing (BIF)
Bolivia Information Forum, Link to briefing covering December 2012 to January 2013 1. Conflicting reports as TIPNIS consultation ends The controversy over the proposed construction of a highway through the TIPNIS indigenous territory and national park looks set to continue after several reports into the recent consultation on the project offered very different conclusions. According to the … Read more
