1. Bolivia's "radical" turn: hydrocarbons nationalization as an alternative to modern logic?
- Author
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Delgado, Ana Carolina
- Subjects
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HYDROCARBONS , *GOVERNMENT ownership , *MODERN logic , *CAPITALISM , *NEOLIBERALISM - Abstract
In 2006 Bolivian nationalization of hydrocarbons marked a range of measures by the government that had as its ultimate goal a rupture with the logic of colonial rule, reproduced for the past decades in the domination of neoliberal markets. In that sense, the control by the state of natural resources symbolizes a double movement: on the one hand, it would represent the reaffirmation of people's sovereignty, diminished by centuries of exploration. On the other, nationalization would also serve to foster Bolivia's development as the increase of income is redistributed among people. In that context, poverty reduction and progress, issues historically treated by liberal thinkers, appear also as part of a project implemented by an anti-neoliberal administration. So, what are the prospects of rupture for Bolivia? In this paper, I argue that, besides the government discourse and people's beliefs, Bolivia could not yet break with the logic of modern times, because that move requires a rupture with the logic of capitalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2011