Political Geography: South America / Publication Year: within 5 Years

201. La participación democrática en la justicia constitucional. Análisis y recomendaciones sobre el mecanismo de las intervenciones

Author:: Juliana Jaramillo
Publication Date:: 09-2024
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios sobre Desarrollo (CIDER), Universidad de los Andes
Abstract:: La Constitución de 1991 introdujo cambios profundos en la justicia constitucional. Con la creación de la Corte Constitucional de Colombia, la nueva Carta política no solo buscó fortalecer los mecanismos de acceso a la justicia, sino también expandir las oportunidades para una mayor participación ciudadana y de actores estatales en los debates constitucionales. La implementación del mecanismo de las intervenciones, más conocidos internacionalmente como escritos de amicus curiae, sirvió a este último propósito al establecer una herramienta para que actores externos a la Corte pudieran involucrarse en el proceso de decisión judicial. Este documento examina el funcionamiento y la apropiación de este mecanismo en la Corte Constitucional y otros tribunales del mundo, analiza sus potencialidades y limitaciones, y propone un conjunto de recomendaciones para fortalecer su regulación y garantizar una particip
Topic:: Politics, Regulation, Constitution, Courts, and Participation
Political Geography:: Colombia and South America

202. Assessment of Water Footprint Profiles: Analysis of the Quinoa Life Cycle in Bolivia

Author:: Javier Aliaga Lordemann, Alejandro Capriles, and Nayra Antezana
Publication Date:: 10-2024
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Institute for Advanced Development Studies (INESAD)
Abstract:: This study analyzes the water footprint profiles of quinoa production in Bolivia, an emblematic crop that faces significant challenges in terms of yield and sustainability. The Total Water Footprint (WH) of quinoa estimated for the Southern Altiplano region of Bolivia is approximately 1,728 liters per kilogram, with average yields of 1.15 tons per hectare. This result shows a worrying level of inefficiency in the relationship of HH and crop yield, especially in comparison with countries such as Peru and Ecuador. The results show high HH and low yields; therefore, quinoa production in Bolivia in the study area is not optimizing water use. This situation can be explained to a large extent by the low level of organic matter in the soil of the area (verified by soil studies). Thus, a soil with low organic matter content lacks essential nutrients, which impairs quinoa growth and negatively affects its root development due to soil compaction. In addition, the lack of organic matter decreases water retention capacity, which is critical in periods of drought as a result of the increased frequency and intensity of climatic events in the area. Likewise, the lack of organic matter makes plants more vulnerable to pests and diseases, but also reduces microbial biodiversity, which affects key processes such as decomposition and nutrient cycling, compromising soil fertility. In summary, this type of soil is less efficient in water use, which can increase the water footprint of the crop by requiring more frequent irrigation. Based on these conclusions, several recommendations are proposed. First, it is crucial to optimize yield and reduce WH by implementing efficient irrigation systems. This includes training farmers in these technologies. The use of vegetative covers that improve moisture retention is also suggested. In addition, advanced irrigation technologies -such as soil moisture sensors- should be adopted and rainwater harvesting systems should be promoted. Training in integrated water resources management is essential, as well as the development of climate adaptation strategies.
Topic:: Agriculture, Water, Sustainability, Econometrics, and Quinoa
Political Geography:: South America and Bolivia

203. Evaluating Quinoa Crop Yield in the Face of Agro-climatic Stressors Using the NL-CROP Model

Author:: Javier Aliaga Lordemann and Adriana Caballero Caballero
Publication Date:: 10-2024
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Institute for Advanced Development Studies (INESAD)
Abstract:: Crop models are a key tool for developing adaptation strategies in the agriculture sector. With their evolution over time, they have gradually incorporated new approaches and tools. This document develops a non-linear model for simulating the performance of crops with an innovative approach that includes non-linear functions, thus allowing a more realistic representation of agricultural systems. Focusing on quinoa, we use experimental and field data of zones of the Bolivian Altiplano (high plateau) to evaluate different production outcomes under various climatic and agricultural management scenarios that include multiple agro-climatic stressors. The study reveals that the varieties of quinoa adapted to the local conditions of the study areas have better performance than conventional varieties. This underscores the importance of having material that is genetically adapted for facing the impacts of climate change. Additionally, the results show that the NL-CROP model has a satisfactory ability to both reproduce and predict observed quinoa patterns, considering water and thermal stress impacts. This makes the model a key tool for assessing the impact of climate change and also for anticipating the challenges and opportunities that will arise for quinoa in the future, providing valuable assistance in agricultural planning.
Topic:: Agriculture, Climate Change, Quinoa, and Crop Model
Political Geography:: South America and Bolivia

204. Retirement Planning for Certified Quinoa Farmers in the Southern Altiplano of Bolivia: Challenges and Opportunities

Author:: Alejandro Herrera and Beatriz Muriel
Publication Date:: 11-2024
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Institute for Advanced Development Studies (INESAD)
Abstract:: This paper examines the social protection challenges faced by quinoa farmers in the southern Altiplano of Bolivia, with a focus on certified quinoa producers. Using a mixed- methods approach and insights from existing literature, the study examines the retirement planning and financial literacy of farmers affiliated with RED-QUINUA, a network of Fairtrade®-certified quinoa producer associations in the region. It highlights critical issues such as low participation in the national pension system, lack of retirement planning, and gaps in financial literacy, with particular attention to their disproportionate impact on women producers. To address these challenges, a pilot program was implemented to improve quinoa farmers’ financial literacy and retirement planning. The program provided participants with critical knowledge to formulate their retirement and long-term savings plans. Results from the pilot are encouraging, demonstrating improved financial literacy, increased awareness of retirement planning, and a better understanding of savings options, particularly among women. This study shows that, with appropriate financial and retirement education, quinoa certification premiums could contribute to farmers’ long-term financial security and well-being.
Topic:: Agriculture, Farming, Retirement, Savings, Quinoa, and Financial Literacy
Political Geography:: South America and Bolivia

205. Estimate of the Carbon Footprint in Organic Quinoa Plots in the South of Bolivia – Case Study

Author:: Liliana Roca
Publication Date:: 10-2024
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Institute for Advanced Development Studies (INESAD)
Abstract:: This case study is part of the research project “Creating Indigenous Women’s Green Jobs under Low-Carbon COVID-19 Response and Recovery in the Bolivian Quinoa Sector”. I estimate the carbon footprint associated with the quinoa production in southern Bolivia based on primary information of 19 plots. Using a cradle-to-gate life cycle analysis approach, under the ISO 14067 standard, and analyzing various emission sources through the Cool Farm Tool, I determine that the carbon footprint generates an average of 741 .7 kg CO2e per plot; and an average of 267.4 kg CO2e per hectare. The main emission sources identified are the use of organic fertilizer (54%), the consumption of fossil fuels (35%) and the use of protection inputs (8%). Considering the declared unit of 1 kg of harvested quinoa, I obtain the carbon footprint results per product, with values ranging between 0.3 and 2.3 kg CO2e/kg of quinoa and an average of 0.98 kg CO2e/ kg of quinoa.
Topic:: Climate Change, Carbon Footprint, Green Jobs, and Quinoa
Political Geography:: South America and Bolivia

206. Making the Case for Women, Peace and Security

Author:: Our Secure Future
Publication Date:: 07-2024
Content Type:: Commentary and Analysis
Institution:: Our Secure Future
Abstract:: Mounting evidence confirms that women’s meaningful engagement in peace and security processes increases the likelihood and sustainability of peace. Our Secure Future’s latest publication, “Making the Case for Women, Peace and Security,” compiles the relevant statistics, figures, and key country examples demonstrating the positive impact of women’s participation in peacebuilding and conflict resolution. From Colombia to Myanmar to Rwanda, this guide illustrates the critical role that women have played and continue to play in peace and security efforts around the world.
Topic:: Conflict Resolution, Security, Women, Peace, Sustainability, and Participation
Political Geography:: Africa, Asia, Colombia, South America, Rwanda, and Myanmar

207. Atlantism Under Maintenance: A Review of the Brazil-Cape Verde Partnership During the Dilma Rousseff Administrations (2011-2016)

Author:: Tatiana Raquel Reis Silva and Leandro Chaves Batista
Publication Date:: 03-2024
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Brazilian Journal of African Studies
Institution:: Brazilian Journal of African Studies
Abstract:: From a holistic perspective, Brazil’s foreign policy towards the African continent has historically been marked by moments of greater proximity and others of relative distance. Authors such as Barriviera (2016) and Costa (2015) claim that there’s been a downturn in Brazil-Africa relations since Dilma Rousseff became president. It is essential to situate the relations established between Brazil and the various African nations as a phenomenon integrated into the logic of South-South Cooperation (SSC), a segment of Internatio-nal Development Cooperation (IDC) that encompasses political, diplomatic and commercial ties between developing countries, guided by the principle of horizontality, with an emphasis on mutual benefits. With regard to the cooperation established with the archipelago of Cape Verde, it is important to note that it is supported by a basal document: the Basic Agreement on Scientific and Technical Cooperation, signed in 1977.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Bilateral Relations, Partnerships, and Dilma Rousseff
Political Geography:: Africa, Brazil, South America, and Cabo Verde

208. La “Ceguera Marítima”: características, consecuencias y alternativas.Alemania, Brasil y la Organización Marítima Internacionalen comparación

Author:: Herminio Sánchez de la Barquera y Arroyo
Publication Date:: 06-2023
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Journal on International Security Studies (RESI)
Institution:: International Security Studies Group (GESI) at the University of Granada
Abstract:: El presente texto parte de tres puntos importantes que darán paso al análisis de la ceguera marítima, sus características y consecuencias desde laperspectiva de las acciones emprendidas por Alemania, Brasil y laOrganización Marítima Internacional(OMI). El enfoque principal de esta investigación es conocer cómo estos tres actores, mediante distintos recursos, tratande contribuir a reducir la ceguera marítimapropia (en el caso de las dos naciones analizadas) y lade países en desarrollo(en el caso de laOMI). Posteriormente determinaremos sus características, medios y objetivos.
Topic:: Security, Maritime, Seapower, and Dependency
Political Geography:: Europe, Brazil, South America, and Germany

209. European Communities in South America and the Global Total Wars of the 20th Century: An Interview with Dr. María Inés Tato

Author:: María Inés Tato and Salvador Lima
Publication Date:: 05-2023
Content Type:: Commentary and Analysis
Institution:: The Toynbee Prize Foundation
Abstract:: Total wars do not just affect the belligerent societies. The two global conflicts of the first half of the twentieth century had repercussions in neutral countries and colonial territories that could not escape of their economic and political impact. This was certainly most evident for the European diasporas in the South American region. How did overseas Europeans participate in the war effort? What were the tensions surrounding the mobilization? What were the effects on the relationship with the adoption countries? These are some of the questions that the authors of Transatlantic Battles. European Immigrant Communities in South America and the World Wars (Brill, 2022) address. The book was edited by María Inés Tato, researcher at the National Council of Science and Technic Research (CONICET), in Argentina, and director of the Group of Historical War Studies of the Institute of Latin American and Argentine History “Dr. Emilio Ravignani”, University of Buenos Aires. Under her coordination, this collective project gathered several historians from different backgrounds, including Juan Pablo Artinian, Norman Fraser Brown, Juan Luis Carrellán Ruiz, Hernán Díaz, Marcelo Huernos, Milagros Martínez-Flener, Germán Friedmann and Stefan Rinke. The main goal of the project was to explore how European communities in South America expressed the transnational nature of their national identities through enlistment in armies and the mobilisation of economic and cultural assets. As Tato says in the book’s introduction, these immigrants, and their families “had two homelands: they were attached to their countries of origin and, at the same time, exhibited strong connections with the societies they resided in, developing a complex identity that recognized their dual allegiance.” Transatlantic Battles should not be understood as an isolated piece of work, but as a contribution to a growing academic movement that, for the last twenty years, has attended to the global dimension of the twentieth-century total wars. Tato herself has published and directed several books on the subject, working closely with colleagues on both sides of the Atlantic.
Topic:: War, History, Diaspora, and Interview
Political Geography:: Europe and South America

210. El lugar de Venezuela en las restricciones chino-estadounidenses: una mirada desde la prensa española en el marco de la invasión rusa a Ucrania

Author:: Iván Luis Alonso Peláez
Publication Date:: 01-2023
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Revista UNISCI/UNISCI Journal
Institution:: Unidad de investigación sobre seguridad y cooperación (UNISCI)
Abstract:: El artículo hace un recorrido histórico para conocer cuál ha sido el papel de Venezuela en el marco de las relaciones chino-estadounidenses, especialmente los cambios ocurridos a partir de 1999 con los gobiernos de Hugo Chávez y Nicolás Maduro. Acorde con lo descrito por la abundante bibliografía sobre el tema, se constata que se ha producido un cambio de roles en el que China progresivamente ha ido ocupando en Venezuela el espacio comercial preferente que tradicionalmente había ostentado Estados Unidos desde el restablecimiento de la Democracia en 1958. A través de un análisis informativo utilizando como fuente un grupo de textos periodísticos publicados en los seis principales diarios de circulación nacional editados en España, se valora cómo la invasión rusa a Ucrania promueve un todavía incipiente deshielo en el curso de las sanciones impuestas por Washington a la industria petrolera venezolana.
Topic:: Oil, Sanctions, Energy Crisis, Newspapers, and Russia-Ukraine War
Political Geography:: Russia, China, Ukraine, South America, Venezuela, and United States of America

211. Perú entre Estados Unidos y China: Adaptación de la política exterior peruana de cara a las divergencias chino-estadounidenses

Author:: Bruno Macciotta Pulisci and Pablo Biderbost
Publication Date:: 01-2023
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Revista UNISCI/UNISCI Journal
Institution:: Unidad de investigación sobre seguridad y cooperación (UNISCI)
Abstract:: Desde hace un tiempo China viene compitiendo con Estados Unidos por una posición dominante en el mundo. La competencia es, sobre todo económica, aunque implica, por supuesto, aspectos también políticos, sociales y militares. Una de las regiones más disputadas es, sin duda, América Latina, en la que Estados Unidos pierde cada vez más terreno y China se posiciona como el mayor socio comercial. En este contexto, los países latinoamericanos han tenido que reconfigurar sus políticas exteriores para poder satisfacer sus expectativas de la mano de quien le ofrezca mejores posibilidades. Perú no ha sido una excepción y, de hecho, se ha acercado en los últimos años más a China como principal socio comercial, aunque no ha soltado la mano de Estados Unidos del todo. El presente artículo explora cómo se ha reconfigurado la política exterior peruana de cara a la competencia entre China y Estados Unidos.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Economics, Trade, and Strategic Competition
Political Geography:: China, South America, Peru, and United States of America

212. Factores endógenos y exógenos en el relacionamiento bilateral entre Paraguay y la República de China (Taiwán). Primacías en un contexto internacional tensionado por el enfrentamiento chino-estadounidense

Author:: Julieta H. Heduvan and Maria Antonella Cabral López
Publication Date:: 01-2023
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Revista UNISCI/UNISCI Journal
Institution:: Unidad de investigación sobre seguridad y cooperación (UNISCI)
Abstract:: En el marco de la creciente escalada en el estrecho de Taiwán y en medio de la tensión provocada por dinámicas que buscan desafiar el orden existente, Paraguay, como el único país sudamericano y uno de los pocos Estados a nivel global que reconoce en la actualidad a la República de China (Taiwán) y no a la República Popular China (RPC), percibe desde el otro lado del mundo un conflicto que no es ajeno a él. Este contexto hace oportuno el análisis del relacionamiento de Paraguay con Taiwán y los elementos que determinan su reconocimiento actual, identificando los factores exógenos y endógenos que rigen esta vinculación. Esto permite a su vez, dilucidar cuál es la situación que podría presentarse en un futuro.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Bilateral Relations, Endogenous Factors, and Exogenous Factors
Political Geography:: China, Taiwan, South America, and Paraguay

213. La política exterior argentina: Equilibrios y continuidades entre China y Estados Unidos

Author:: Florencia Rubiolo and Diego Telias
Publication Date:: 01-2023
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Revista UNISCI/UNISCI Journal
Institution:: Unidad de investigación sobre seguridad y cooperación (UNISCI)
Abstract:: La competencia entre Estados Unidos y China en el ámbito comercial, tecnológico y geopolítico tiene repercusiones globales. América Latina, a pesar de una creciente irrelevancia, también es una arena donde estas potencias están compitiendo. Argentina no ha quedado fuera de esta disyuntiva y, al igual que otros países de la región, ha intentado mantener un equilibrio entre ambas potencias, por la importancia que cada una reviste: Estados Unidos en lo financiero y China tanto en lo comercial como en materia de inversiones. En este artículo, a través de un repaso teórico, análisis de documentos oficiales y entrevistas, se analiza la política exterior de Alberto Fernández hacia China en el contexto de las divergencias entre ambos Estados. Concluimos que Argentina ha intentado de manera continua un equilibrio, aunque no implica equidistancia, ante una situación en donde los gobiernos aún no han sido presionados a optar.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Finance, Investment, Trade, Competition, and Equilibrium
Political Geography:: China, Argentina, South America, and United States of America

214. Brasil-Estados Unidos-China en el orden global a principios del siglo XXI: Un análisis desde la perspectiva de la política exterior brasileña

Author:: Maria da Luz Ramos, Carla Guapo da Costa, and Gabrieli Gaio
Publication Date:: 01-2023
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Revista UNISCI/UNISCI Journal
Institution:: Unidad de investigación sobre seguridad y cooperación (UNISCI)
Abstract:: Este artículo aborda las diversas orientaciones de la política exterior brasileña (PEB) en el siglo XXI teniendo en cuenta el contexto de las relaciones establecidas entre Brasil y dos importantes actores del orden geopolítico contemporáneo: Estados Unidos (EEUU) y China. Desde una lectura geopolítica Norte-Sur del orden global, se analiza la(s) forma(s) en que el PEB y sus actores construyen sus representaciones sobre dichos actores y estructuran, en consecuencia, su agenda externa en relación con ellos.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, History, Geopolitics, and International Order
Political Geography:: China, Brazil, South America, United States of America, Global South, and Global North

215. The Shell and the Seed: Lessons from the Negotiation with the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia

Author:: Marta Ruiz
Publication Date:: 10-2023
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ)
Abstract:: The achievement of total peace is not a new goal for Colombia. For the better part of the last 30 years, most government administrations have attempted to negotiate or subdue all existing armed groups either simultaneously or sequentially. However, the results so far have been partial and insufficient to address the structural causes and persistent factors behind a 60-year internal armed conflict. The product of a collaboration between ICTJ and the researcher, journalist, and former commissioner of the Colombian Truth Commission, Marta Ruiz, this study presents new points of view and reflections on the negotiations with the paramilitary forces in the first years of 2000. These reflections can be useful not only to inform public debate but also as input for decisionmakers and those who design strategies for negotiation and the pursuit of total peace underway today in Colombia. The first part explains the genesis of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) and describes their transition from drug traffickers to political and military actors. It presents evidence that since the 1980s the Colombian state has attempted to negotiate with drug traffickers using different narratives about their nature. The second part describes what happened at the Santafé Ralito negotiation table, the discussion’s agenda, and how the political context affected the process. It also shows how political timing, in particular President Uribe's reelection, affected the process’s outcome. The big question it asks, one with no single answer, is why, if negotiations were being held with drug traffickers, there was no real talk of dismantling drug trafficking. The third part assesses the consequences of the process, both in terms of justice and reintegration. It attempts to explain how the demobilized armed groups were reactivated in the territories.
Topic:: Conflict Prevention, Armed Forces, Negotiation, and Peace
Political Geography:: Colombia and South America

216. Advancing Victims’ Rights and Rebuilding Just Communities: Local Strategies for Achieving Reparation as a Part of Sustainable Development

Author:: The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ)
Publication Date:: 11-2023
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ)
Abstract:: This comparative study examines strategies used by local actors to facilitate the operationalization of reparations for victims of widespread human rights violations, while highlighting the synergies between these efforts and sustainable development. The study is based on the fieldwork of ICTJ and its partners in four contexts—Colombia, The Gambia, Tunisia, and Uganda. These countries represent a range of different situations, where the progress made, challenges faced, and overall political and institutional contexts vary significantly. Nonetheless, comparison of the approaches used across the cases offers valuable insights for those working in these and other contexts. In The Gambia, the truth commission and legislation for reparations have created expectations among victims, but a program has yet to be implemented. In Uganda, the legal and policy framework for reparations exists, but there is no enabling legislation or mechanism to provide them as a result of stalled political will. In Tunisia, the truth commission recommended reparations, but the political and economic situation make operationalization unlikely. In Colombia, challenges faced by reparations have informed the design of restorative sanctions that include reparative projects but are yet to be implemented. The major insights gained from this comparative study relate to the specific ways in which reparations can contribute to individual and community well-being and development; innovative and effective approaches to ensuring victims and communities receive reparations and support, including through collective action, engagement with government, and grassroots initiatives; the integration of victims’ needs and priorities into development policies and models; and the reparative elements of complementary accountability and reform measures that are participatory, address corruption and marginalization, and contribute to gender justice and equality. The report offers practical guidance and policy recommendations for advancing reparations as an integral element of broader societal efforts to facilitate inclusion, justice, peace, and development.
Topic:: Human Rights, Sustainable Development Goals, Accountability, Reparations, and Truth and Reconciliation
Political Geography:: Uganda, Africa, Colombia, South America, Tunisia, and Gambia

217. Cold War rivalry on Brazil’s and Argentina’snuclear programs: examining military and civilian intentions

Author:: André Luiz Cançado Motta and José Paulo Silva Ferreira
Publication Date:: 07-2023
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Conjuntura Austral: Journal of the Global South
Institution:: Conjuntura Austral: Journal of the Global South
Abstract:: The objective of this article is to investigate whether Cold War rivalry influenced the development of nuclear programs in Brazil and Argentina. The research employs a qualitative approach and bibliographic analysis of primary sources, including articles, books, and other relevant sources. The main hypothesis is to examine whether the culture of Cold War rivalry stimulated the development of nuclear programs in these countries, analysing the military and civilian intentions behind their nuclear technologies. While it is commonly reported that Latin America was under the influence of the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) during the Cold War, the cases of Brazil and Argentina show the opposite. Both countries adopted independent nuclear policies, seeking technological transfer through diversified and autonomous partnerships. Additionally, these divergent positions included arguments and actions regarding their respective nuclear policies. However, mutual distrust between Brazil and Argentina regarding the advancement and sophistication of their nuclear programs generated a dynamic similar to the Cold War in the Southern Cone region. This dynamic originated internally based on the logic of the two countries, despite the later creation of joint non-proliferation mechanisms.
Topic:: Cold War, Nuclear Weapons, Politics, History, Rivalry, Military, and Nuclearization
Political Geography:: Brazil, Argentina, and South America

218. Navigating through continuity and innovation: an analysis of Lula’s third term challenges involving migration policy

Author:: Matheus Felten Fröhlich and Veronica Korber Gonçalves
Publication Date:: 10-2023
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Conjuntura Austral: Journal of the Global South
Institution:: Conjuntura Austral: Journal of the Global South
Abstract:: This article addresses the first hundred days of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's third term as president of Brazil in the contextof international migration and refuge. The paper aims to analyse the “intermestic” characteristics of foreign policy and its relationship with the formulation of specific guidelines on migration. Using documentary sources and interviews, we examine the context in which Lula took charge, which was marked by the recognition of “prima facie” refugee status for Venezuelan citizens, the elaboration of a national migration policy, and the definition of the future of Operation Welcome. Our objective is to reflect on the main challenges faced by the new government concerning migration and refugee issues, considering the historical con-struction of the agenda in the last two decades. We conclude that the current focus is on revamping crucial policies to ensure the smooth operation of orderly migration within the country, as these practices have been gradually dismantled in recent years. Besides, we highlight that the future of Opera-tion Welcome remains uncertain at this stage.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Governance, Law, Refugees, Lula da Silva, and Migration Policy
Political Geography:: Brazil and South America

219. Inequality in Chile: Perceptions and Patterns

Author:: Ignacia Lecaros, Daniela Paz Cruzat, Ricardo Pommer Muñoz, Pablo Tillan, and Michael Walton
Publication Date:: 09-2023
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Abstract:: Chile has pioneered many things: a market-oriented, “neoliberal” approach to development; an impressive transition from authoritarianism to democracy; innovations in social policy; and an extraordinary series of street protests between 2006 and 2019. While often lauded as a model of economic and social development, the protests reflect acute concerns over perceived failures in the Chilean political, economic and cultural system, concerns that were profoundly inflected with issues of inequality and lack of fairness. To inform this contrast, this paper undertakes a systematic assessment of the perceptions and perspectives of Chilean citizens, both in the context of the protests and in their broader expressed views in surveys. The core theme is that “the street was right”, in the specific sense that the protests reflected much wider sentiments across social classes over perceived inequities in economic advancement, social provisioning, and the undignified “treatment” by state actors and elites. The paper then compares these perceptions with some of the “objective” measures of inequality. While alternative measures indicate modest declines in some measures of inequality, Chile remains a very high inequality society, in relation to income, wealth, and education. These perceptions and patterns are central to Chile’s current development challenges, in ways that resonate with the position of many countries in today’s polarized environment. This is the first of two papers, with the sequel exploring the underlying drivers of inequality and implications for policy direction.
Topic:: Education, Health, Inequality, Protests, State, Perception, and Fairness
Political Geography:: South America and Chile

220. Seeing the Forest for More than the Trees: A Policy Strategy to Curb Deforestation and Advance Shared Prosperity in the Colombian Amazon

Author:: Timothy Cheston, Patricio Goldstein, Timothy Freeman, Alejandro Rueda-Sanz, and Ricardo Hausmann
Publication Date:: 02-2023
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Abstract:: Does economic prosperity in the Colombian Amazon require sacrificing the forest? This research compendium of a series of studies on the Colombian Amazon finds the answer to this question is no: the perceived trade-off between economic growth and forest protection is a false dichotomy. The drivers of deforestation and prosperity are distinct – as they happen in different places. Deforestation occurs at the agricultural frontier, in destroying some of the world’s most complex biodiversity by some of the least economically complex activities, particularly cattle-ranching. By contrast, the economic drivers in the Amazon are its urban areas often located far from the forest edge, including in non-forested piedmont regions. These cities offer greater economic complexity by accessing a wider range of productive capabilities in higher-income activities with little presence of those activities driving deforestation. Perhaps the most underappreciated facet of life in each of the three Amazonian regions studied, Caquetá, Guaviare, and Putumayo, is that the majority of people live in urban areas. This is a telling fact of economic geography: that even in the remote parts of the Amazon, people want to come together to live in densely populated areas. This corroborates the findings of our global research over the past two decades that prosperity results from expanding the productive capabilities available locally to diversify production to do more, and more complex, activities.
Topic:: Economic Growth, Deforestation, and Green Economy
Political Geography:: Colombia, South America, Latin America, and Amazon Basin

221. Raise your voice! Activism and peer effects in online social networks

Author:: Alejandra Agustina Martínez
Publication Date:: 07-2023
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Nottingham Interdisciplinary Centre for Economic and Political Research (NICEP)
Abstract:: Do peers influence individuals’ involvement in political activism? To provide a quantitative answer, I study Argentina’s abortion rights debate through Twitter - the social media platform. Pro-choice and pro-life activists coexisted online, and the evidence suggests peer groups were not too polarized. I develop a model of strategic interactions in a network - allowing for heterogeneous peer effects. Next, I estimate peer effects and test whether online activism exhibits strategic substitutability or complementarity. I create a novel panel dataset - where links and actions are observable - by combining tweets’ and users’ information. I provide a reduced-form analysis by proposing a network-based instrumental variable. The results indicate strategic complementarity in online activism, both from aligned and opposing peers. Notably, the evidence suggests homophily in the formation of Twitter’s network, but it does not support the hypothesis of an echo-chamber effect.
Topic:: Political Activism, Social Media, Abortion, and Peer Effects
Political Geography:: Argentina and South America

222. NERINT Strategic Analysis: The Brazilian Challenge of Reactivating UNASUR and Strengthening MERCOSUR

Author:: Leonardo Granato
Publication Date:: 06-2023
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: AUSTRAL: Brazilian Journal of Strategy International Relations
Institution:: Postgraduate Program in International Strategic Studies, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
Abstract:: In his third presidential term, President Lula has been devoting a large part of his government agenda to foreign policy, aimed at strengthening the country’s capacity to advance its interests and, within the aforementioned public policy, at rebuilding integration relations with neighboring countries. Faced with the spread of nationalism and protectionist postures in the midst of a complex international scene marked by the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and tensions between the United States and China, the Brazilian option is for the defense of peace, dialogue and cooperation, starting with its strategic environment represented by South America and Mercosur.With regard to the South American region, the Brazilian government’s ability to convene and unify perspectives was challenged by the heterogeneity of agendas and priorities of different countries, even among countries with progressive governments. In fact, the so-called “Consensus of Brasilia”, a joint declaration resulting from the presidential meeting of May 30, 2023, highlights the size of the aforementioned challenge, since there was no mention, in that declaration, of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and its reactivation. Faced with its dismantling during the Bolsonaro government, carrying forward the Brazilian government’s priority objective of reactivating UNASUR will require, perhaps more than in the past, a broad effort to build consensus.With regard to Mercosur, also under a setback in recent years, Brazil will play, during the second half of 2023, the pro-tempore presidency of the bloc, which will represent the opportunity for the Brazilian state to project its foreign policy priorities, as well as the principles that guide its internal public policies. In President Lula’s own speech at the 62nd Mercosur Summit, which took place in Puerto Iguazú (Argentina) on July 4, 2023, the major issues to be privileged during his tenure at the head of the bloc were portrayed. Such matters refer, essentially, to the strengthening of Mercosur in its multiple dimensions, and to the conclusion of the bi-regional agreement with the European Union.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Markets, Treaties and Agreements, Trade, and Lula da Silva
Political Geography:: Europe, Brazil, and South America

223. Mercosur and Post-COVID 19 Exit Strategies in Terms of Sustainable Development: Renewable Energies and Climate Change

Author:: Amalia Margarita Stuhldreher and Virginia Morales Olmos
Publication Date:: 06-2023
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: AUSTRAL: Brazilian Journal of Strategy International Relations
Institution:: Postgraduate Program in International Strategic Studies, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
Abstract:: COVID 19 affected the projection of the SDGs, with debates on a post-pandemic "green" exit. With a multilevel perspective, this paper addresses the evolution of energy policies in MERCOSUR countries, focusing on renewable energies and climate change. Uruguay's case is discussed, in contrast with Argentina and Brazil. Points of convergence in divergent situations are considered, given the commercial exchanges of electric energy between Uruguay and its MERCOSUR partners. Investments in renewable energies in Uruguay, its current situation, and its prospects are analyzed, considering the position of the Block and an eventual scheme of regional climate governance in the future.
Topic:: Climate Change, Development, Sustainable Development Goals, Renewable Energy, Sustainability, COVID-19, and Mercosur
Political Geography:: Brazil, Argentina, and South America

224. The Crossroads Between Actors, Norms, Practices and Institutions

Author:: Sérgio Luiz Cruz Aguilar
Publication Date:: 06-2023
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: AUSTRAL: Brazilian Journal of Strategy International Relations
Institution:: Postgraduate Program in International Strategic Studies, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
Abstract:: Intergovernmental organisations and institutions are generally created to discuss and find collective solutions to problems that transcend national borders and individual states’ capacities. However, certain crises push for isolated, typically restrictive, actions from governments, making the role of such institutions somewhat murky. The South American Conference on Migration (SCM), the Specialized Migration Forum of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), and the Andean Committee of Migration Authorities of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) are three intergovernmental forums that were created with the aim of negotiating agreements, creating and implementing community legislation, and achieving regional policy with regards to migration. However, from 2015, mass migration from Venezuela, which was considered a crisis by South American governments, led to restrictive policies in some countries. In this context, this paper discusses the linkages between institutions, actors, norms and practices by examining the interactions between SCM, Mercosur and CAN and the practices of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru regarding the Venezuelan migration crisis. Through a qualitative approach, observations of practice and discourse, and the critical analysis thereof, this paper discusses debates and decisions within institutions; the emergence and non-compliance of collective norms; and the contradictory practices employed as responses to the migration crisis.
Topic:: International Organization, Institutions, and Norms
Political Geography:: South America

225. The Consolidation of the Brazilian Space Program: Changes and Challenges in the Third Space Age

Author:: Marco Aurélio Chaves Cepik, Jaíne Garcia de Souza, and Vanessa Redel Dal-Berto
Publication Date:: 06-2023
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: AUSTRAL: Brazilian Journal of Strategy International Relations
Institution:: Postgraduate Program in International Strategic Studies, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
Abstract:: The article aims to understand what stage the Brazilian Space Program (PEBR) is in in the Third Space Age. In this context, it illustrates the growing presence of States in the space region, resulting in the rise of emerging space powers, as is the case of Brazil. In addition, it addresses the achievements and challenges present in the PEBR since the 2000s to understand the reason for the stagnation of the national space program. The conclusion of this research points out that through the false retakes carried out in recent decades, the PEBR experienced minimal national advances in the space sector and accommodated itself to a position of space periphery, in which it depends on other space powers.
Topic:: Science and Technology, Space, and Emerging Powers
Political Geography:: Brazil and South America

226. The Governments of Mauricio Macri and Jair Bolsonaro: Ideology, Pragmatism and Foreign Policy

Author:: André Luiz Coelho, Mariano Ignacio Treacy, and Beatriz Bandeira de Mello
Publication Date:: 12-2023
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: AUSTRAL: Brazilian Journal of Strategy International Relations
Institution:: Postgraduate Program in International Strategic Studies, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
Abstract:: This article compares the foreign policy of the governments of Mauricio Macri in Argentina and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, based on the positions of the presidents and their representatives on three issues: 1) relations with the United States, 2) with China and 3) regional integration. We suggest that the Macri government has had to adapt its positions and discursive practices throughout its administration to national and international pressures. We understand that Jair Bolsonaro has adopted a similar stance in his foreign agenda and that his discourses, although strongly ideological, are opposed to more pragmatic actions, especially in the Brazilian economic and trade agendas, as in Argentina. The methodology used in this study is content analysis of speeches and reports from the Brazilian and Argentine foreign ministries, and the theoretical contributions of foreign policy analysis.
Topic:: International Relations, Foreign Policy, Government, Ideology, Regional Integration, Jair Bolsonaro, and Mauricio Macri
Political Geography:: China, Brazil, South America, and United States of America

227. Oppression Beyond Plantations: How Emancipation Led to Incarceration in Urban Buenos Aires

Author:: Valentin Figueroa and Guadalupe Tuñón
Publication Date:: 08-2023
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination, Princeton University
Abstract:: We show that the emancipation of enslaved Black people led to their subsequent incarceration in a context of urban slavery —a context that lacked the economic incentives for incarceration present in plantation economies such as the U.S. South. To establish causality, we study a lottery of certificates of freedom in nineteenth-century Buenos Aires that randomly freed a small group of enslaved persons. Through archival research and digitization of the full count of the handwritten 1810 census, we link lottery winners and sets of eligible nonwinners to police records until 1830. We find that emancipation increased the probability of incarceration, on average, by 11.8 percentage points. Exploring mechanisms, we find no evidence that the effect was driven by rural labor shortages, but rather by the criminalization of petty offenses.
Topic:: History, Labor Issues, Slavery, and Incarceration
Political Geography:: South America and Buenos Aires

228. Rare macroeconomic disasters and lost decades in Latin America: The COVID-19 experience in a historical context

Author:: José F. Ursúa
Publication Date:: 09-2023
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE)
Abstract:: COVID-19 led to the single largest year-over-year decline in Latin America’s GDP per capita in more than 100 years. Although the region has endured several macroeconomic shocks before, mostly related to financial dislocations, none has been so deep and synchronized. The authors' analysis of the COVID-19 experience for the region and eight economies with available historical data reveals the extent of the damage. Through 2020, four economies suffered “rare disasters” (cumulative contractions by 10 percent or more): Argentina, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. Tragically, Venezuela’s macroeconomic collapse matches the largest contraction registered by any country in modern history. In addition, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela, together with the Latin America regional aggregate, are undergoing “lost decades” (prolonged periods of stagnation), which are unlikely to end soon. While Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Uruguay did relatively better with COVID-19, they still suffered significant recessions, and their economic performance has lost steam compared with prior decades. Overall, COVID-19 will cast a long shadow in Latin America even as economic growth rebounds. The shock also offers opportunities for a reset, with the appropriate set of macroeconomic policies, advances on microeconomic reforms, and the strengthening of institutions. Whether this set of policies will materialize in the midst of challenging political contexts remains an open question.
Topic:: History, Economic Growth, Macroeconomics, and COVID-19
Political Geography:: Brazil, South America, and Latin America

229. Climate Change and the Political Economy of Hydropower Disruption

Author:: Jonathan Guy, Ishana Ratan, and Anthony Calacino
Publication Date:: 12-2023
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC)
Abstract:: Hydropower is the predominant renewable energy source globally and will play a key role in transitioning countries away from fossil fuels. Yet hydropower production is threatened by the effects of climate change, with significant implications for both energy security and the energy transition. In this policy brief, UC Berkeley PhD candidates Johnny Guy and Ishana Ratan, together with co-author Anthony Calacino, explore preliminary evidence from Brazil, Colombia, and Nepal that shows the multifaceted challenges hydropower-dependent nations face, and divergent responses governments have taken in response. They demonstrate why, in the face of increasing uncertainty, hydropower-dependent countries—already vulnerable to the impacts of seasonal disruptions to power supply—must develop robust strategies for load balancing and project risk management.
Topic:: Security, Climate Change, Strategic Competition, Geoeconomics, and Hydropower
Political Geography:: South Asia, Brazil, Colombia, South America, Nepal, and Global Focus

230. Challenges and recommendations for the Amazon – Brazil

Author:: Renata Avelar Giannini and Camila Nadalini de Godoy
Publication Date:: 10-2023
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Igarapé Institute
Abstract:: In the Amazon, women face a dual challenge. On one side, there are social expectations regarding their role in society; on the other, the risks and vulnerabilities that the multiplicity of identities they belong to can create. These expectations significantly impact how they see and face the challenges that surround them. At the same time, these identities related to the regional context they live in and other social markers – such as age, social class, sexual orientation, gender identity,race, ethnicity, religion, among others – add unique experiences and specific risks. The collection of experiences of these women cannot, therefore, be generalized, placing them in a key position to propose solutions. This work aims to identify the vision of Amazonian women on their territory and its challenges, as well as highlight the solutions they propose, considering their peculiarities and diversity. This study, conducted by the Igarapé Institute in collaboration with Amazonian defenders, sought to understand the perspective of Amazonian women concerning their territory, challenges, and the solutions they propose, recognizing their unique experiences and diversity. The study shed light on the daily violence that has already victimized 765 women in conflicts in the Brazilian Amazon over the past decade. The report is divided into four parts. In the first part, we address the context of the Brazilian Amazon, where this research was conducted. In the second part, we explain the methodology used for this listening process. In the third part, we highlight the risks and challenges identified by the defenders who participated in the research. Finally, we describe the solutions suggested by these same women, along with recommendations on how the incorporation of a gender perspective into discussions about sustainable development in the region is essential for navigating the context of climate change and promoting peace and stability.
Topic:: Climate Change, Women, Sustainability, Vulnerability, and Activism
Political Geography:: Brazil, South America, and Amazon Basin

231. Global Futures Bulletin: The growing threat of disinformation and misinformation in Latin America and how to fight back

Author:: Igarapé Institute
Publication Date:: 11-2023
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Igarapé Institute
Abstract:: The rapid spread and borderless reach of disinformation and misinformation are amplified by our growing reliance on digital connections and devices and supercharged by artificial intelligence (AI). The proliferation of fake news, conspiracies, and malign content coincides with declining trust in mainstream media and waning support for democracy. While all countries are susceptible to an unchecked infodemic, some are more vulnerable than others. Concerns over digital harms are already afflicting the major democratic powers of North America and Western Europe. Yet the threat is also rising fast in emerging nations, such as Brazil, where social media is ubiquitous, and the consolidation of democratic institutions is still underway.As fake and malicious news grew in visibility and audience share across the media, Brazilian authorities moved forcefully to contain the threat, expunge egregious misinformation, and keep elections free and fair. Brazil’s judiciary, and especially the electoral court, spearheaded those efforts, while also enjoining political parties, civil society actors, and social media companies in the campaign. With societies everywhere puzzling over the challenge of how to contain the spread of online harms, Latin America’s largest nation offers lessons that can and should have broader relevance for democracies, globally.
Topic:: International Cooperation, Internet, Disinformation, and Misinformation
Political Geography:: Brazil, South America, and Latin America

232. Brazil’s critical and strategic minerals in a changing world

Author:: Nicholas Pope, Peter Smith, Rodrigo Werneck, Andreia Bonzo Araújo Azevedo, and Ilona Szabo de Carvalho
Publication Date:: 10-2023
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Igarapé Institute
Abstract:: Featuring a diversified supply of strategic minerals – raw materials in demand for the transition to green energy – Brazil is witnessing a growing demand for crucial minerals in a decarbonized world. The country holds 94% of the world’s niobium reserves, 22% of graphite, 16% of nickel, and, as well as accounting for 17% of rare earths, the third largest deposit on the planet. With 30% of these mineral reserves located in the Legal Amazon, Brazil has the potential to strategically position itself as a responsible and trusted partner in the global strategic minerals market, both to boost its portfolio and protect its biome and the communities living within it. This study suggests the country can leverage this potential to set global social and environmental standards in the market. However, it indicates that Brazil’s strategic minerals’ role in the energy transition remains unclear, with an undefined strategy for global market integration. Moreover, there is a pressing need for widespread social consensus on the importance of environmental and cultural protection in this context. The study aims to provide insights for discussions on the country’s natural resource management and establish commitments for a fair, coherent, and sustainable energy and environmental policy. To this end, the report offers a comprehensive overview of the scope, scale, and distribution of strategic minerals in Brazil and the rules and regulations governing access to these minerals. It examines the key players and companies involved in the country’s mineral extraction and discusses the implications for some of Brazil’s main biomes, especially the Amazon.
Topic:: Climate Change, Natural Resources, Minerals, Resource Management, Extractive Industries, Green Transition, and Raw Materials
Political Geography:: Brazil, South America, and Amazon Basin

233. Guide for the Protection of Human Rights and Environmental Defenders in the Amazon – Colombia

Author:: Camila Nadalini de Godoy, Katherine Aguirre, and Renata Giannini
Publication Date:: 08-2023
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Igarapé Institute
Abstract:: In the Amazon Basin, women stand out as the main defenders of the forests, their biome, and their people. This makes them targets of various types of violence. The Guide to Protecting Human Rights and Environmental Defenders in the Amazon aims to help these women identify risks, and learn some strategies to protect themselves. and seek help. (The Brazilian guide is available only in Portuguese.)
Topic:: Environment, Women, Violence, Activism, Protection, Amazon Rainforest, and Biome
Political Geography:: Brazil, South America, and Amazon Basin

234. Money Alone Is Not Enough: The Future Of The China-Argentina Relationship

Author:: Román D. Ortiz
Publication Date:: 11-2023
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: China Brief
Institution:: The Jamestown Foundation
Abstract:: Observers assessed the outcome of the first round of Argentina’s presidential elections held on October 22 as good news for the Chinese government (VOA, October 26). Against the odds, Sergio Massa, the Peronist candidate and current minister of economy, emerged on top, despite his overseeing an annual inflation rate of almost 140 percent. Meanwhile, Javier Milei, the libertarian opposition candidate, took the second place (Yahoo Noticias, October 23). These two politicians will compete for the presidency in the second round of the election scheduled for November 19. At first glance, the victory of Massa should be an encouraging sign for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) since it keeps open the possibility that the China-friendly Peronist party remains in government. However, a more granular analysis suggests two alternative outcomes: First, Milei is likely to be the eventual winner after the second round of voting, which would make the new occupant of the Casa Rosada (the Argentinian presidential palace) a politician who has called the PRC an “assassin” and who plans to freeze relations with Beijing. Second, if Massa wins the presidency, his more moderate Peronism is far from the Third-World foreign policy promoted by the outgoing president, Alberto Fernandez, and his vice-president and former president, Cristina Fernandez. Thus, regardless of the outcome of the presidential election, Beijing’s desires to increase political influence over Buenos Aires, which have focused particularly on its defense policy, are likely to be curtailed. A decrease in political influence with Buenos Aires would deal a serious blow to the Chinese strategy in Latin America, in which Argentina plays a critical role. Argentina is the only large country in the region to join the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It also exports food, minerals, and oil needed by the Chinese industrial sector. Argentina’s expansive territory represents a natural platform to project power within South America and to the South Atlantic. Buenos Aires’s geopolitics makes it particularly attractive for Beijing, which is exploring opportunities to secure rights for a naval base on the west coast of Africa in order to gain access to the Atlantic. Argentina also forms a key part of PRC efforts to consolidate its hegemony over the Global South. Specifically, the PRC views Argentina as a counterbalance to Brazilian regional hegemony, which motivated China’s interest in Argentina joining the BRICS grouping of countries, against Brazilian opposition.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Bilateral Relations, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and Industry
Political Geography:: China, Asia, Argentina, and South America

235. Why El Salvador’s Anti-Crime Measures Cannot (and Should Not) Be Exported

Author:: Tiziano Breda
Publication Date:: 03-2023
Content Type:: Commentary and Analysis
Institution:: Istituto Affari Internazionali
Abstract:: One year has passed since El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele launched a “war on gangs”, embedded in a state of exception that has since been renewed monthly. The government claims to have arrested 66,000 alleged gang members, projecting the image of an upfront battle against criminal organisations that has yielded results in bringing down murder rates. This has earned Bukele the approval not only of most Salvadorans, but millions of citizens throughout Latin America. His methods have become a foreign policy tool and a driver of electoral disputes in the region. But are they “exportable” to other countries? And should they?
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Crime, Human Rights, Law Enforcement, Democracy, and Organized Crime
Political Geography:: South America, North America, El Salvador, and United States of America

236. Political Participation Patterns of the Emerging Middle Classes in Peru and the Philippines

Author:: Babette Never and Chiara Anselmetti
Publication Date:: 01-2023
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)
Abstract:: The growing middle classes in middle-income countries may play a key role in current trends of democratic backsliding, online activism and lifestyle politics. This contribution uncovers which modes of political participation are prevalent among the middle classes in Peru and the Philippines, including new forms of online participation and lifestyle politics for sustainability. Drawing on household surveys conducted in 2018, we use latent class analysis and logit regressions to analyse, first, the characteristics of online vs offline participation, and second, the role of political consumption and online activism for political participation dynamics. The latter analysis contributes to the gateway/getaway debate of lifestyle politics. In both countries, we find four comparable classes: a substantial disengaged class that is not engaging in any political participation, an all-round activist class, an online activist class and a class that mostly engages in civil society activities. Further classes with specific participation patterns and socio-demographic characteristics could be identified for each country. Although the online activists in both countries are unlikely to engage in any other form of political participation, a clear empirical case for lifestyle politics as a separate mode of participation only exists among young Peruvians with a steady job. In the Philippines, political consumption as a form of lifestyle politics blends in with other types of political participation.
Topic:: Development, Middle Class, Political Participation, and Activism
Political Geography:: Philippines, South America, Peru, and Asia-Pacific

237. Online Gender-Based Violence in Brazil: New Data Insights

Author:: Mariana Valente
Publication Date:: 06-2023
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
Abstract:: This paper focuses on the Brazilian results from the Supporting a Safer Internet survey, undertaken by CIGI and the International Development Research Centre and carried out by Ipsos. The survey looked at the prevalence of online gender-based violence in 18 countries worldwide, with a special focus on the Global South. Other studies and literature referring to gender, sexuality and race are used to complement, contextualize and interpret the country-based data for Brazil. Brazilian respondents, particularly women and LGBTQ+ individuals, reported heightened negative effects on mental health, and low trust in or resort to law enforcement and other institutions. The experiences of high-profile individuals — 83 percent reported experiencing some type of online harm (connected to the very pressing issue of political violence in Brazil) — and the issue of image-based abuse are also discussed. The paper concludes with recommendations addressing some of the gaps concerning the public sector, the private sector, and the cultural or public debate in the response to tackling technology-facilitated gender-based violence in Brazil and globally.
Topic:: Governance, Internet, Gender Based Violence, Gender, and Safeguarding
Political Geography:: Brazil and South America

238. Models of Measuring Cooperation: Brazil and Mexico

Author:: José Alejandro Sebastian Barrios Díaz
Publication Date:: 05-2023
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Contexto Internacional
Institution:: Institute of International Relations, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
Abstract:: Over the past few decades, South-South cooperation has grown in terms of actors, volume, geographic reach, instruments, and modalities, but, statistics on this type of cooperation have been incomplete and fragmented. The technical, political, and institutional challenges in measuring South-South cooperation are emphasised by countries like Brazil and Mexico, chosen as cases to be analysed in the text. The article explores the experiences in measuring international cooperation provided by Brazil and Mexico, starting with the characterization of the two national trajectories in the quantification and the modalities that determine the process, and analyses the main similarities and differences presented between the cases. The analysis of the countries studied in this article evidence the different institutional designs of international cooperation and the establishment of measurement models elaborated by governments based on their own realities of international cooperation, indicating, therefore, that the process of measuring international cooperation is not only a statistical issue, but above all, a political one. Seen in these terms, South-South cooperation measurement exercises have provided more knowledge about how cooperation activities are organized and their relation to global development agendas, and have also consolidated the transparency of public expenditure.cooperation and development; South-South cooperation; public expenditure; Brazil; Mexico; measurement.
Topic:: Development, International Cooperation, Global South, Public Spending, and Measurement
Political Geography:: Brazil, South America, Latin America, and Mexico

239. Defence Innovation and Women’s Participation in the Armed Forces: An Analysis of PISFLEMB

Author:: Natalia Diniz Schwether and Carlos Eduardo Franco Azevedo
Publication Date:: 09-2023
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Contexto Internacional
Institution:: Institute of International Relations, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
Abstract:: Throughout history, on several occasions, technological advances have driven fundamental changes in the defence sector. The increasing availability and technological dependence led to the redefinition of pre-established functions, the modification of the main missions, and even the rearticulation of traditional values of the military institution. From this perspective, the article aims to answer the following question: in what way did the Project for the Integration of Female Personnel in the Line of Military Warfare Education (PISFLEMB) promote innovation in the Brazilian Armed Forces? It is argued that the participation of women in a traditionally male institution is responsible for generating organizational innovation, both in values and conduct. Data will be collected through official documents and primary sources as modelled for analysis of military innovations. The study is distinguished by the understanding that innovations in the defence sector are an opportunity for transformation and a stimulus for changing patterns of conduct.
Topic:: Defense Policy, Science and Technology, Armed Forces, Women, and Innovation
Political Geography:: Brazil and South America

240. Forum on Rahul Rao’s Out of Time, Part I: Queer Mutations and Repressions

Author:: Emerson Maione and Renan Quinalha
Publication Date:: 09-2023
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Contexto Internacional
Institution:: Institute of International Relations, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
Abstract:: In this Forum, six scholars reflect on Rahul Rao’s recent book Out of Time: The Queer Politics of Postcoloniality from other geographies, themes and radical possibilities. Part I offers dialogues with Out of Time from Trump’s USA and Brazil’s ‘hetero-military’ dictatorship and Portuguese colonial roots. Emerson Maione and Renan Quinalha explore how Rao’s elaborations of homonationalism, homocapitalism, homoromanticism and ‘pink-washing’ more generally travel in new contexts and how the ‘fetishization of law’ can mislead investigations of queer-, homo- and transphobias.
Topic:: Decolonization, LGBT+, Repression, Dictatorship, Queer Theory, Decriminalization, Colonization, and Homonationalism
Political Geography:: Brazil, South America, North America, and United States of America

241. The Strategic Revolutionary Thought and Legacy of Hugo Chávez Ten Years After His Death

Author:: Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research
Publication Date:: 02-2023
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research
Abstract:: Dossier no. 61 retraces the strategic thought of Hugo Chávez, a man who promoted the transformation of Venezuela from the bottom up, building up the Bolivarian Revolution that continues to march forward a decade after his death.
Topic:: Socioeconomics, Hugo Chavez, and Bolivarian Revolution
Political Geography:: South America and Venezuela

242. The Condition of the Indian Working Class

Author:: Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research
Publication Date:: 05-2023
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research
Abstract:: This dossier offers a broad analysis of the living and working conditions of India’s large and diverse working class.
Topic:: Reform, Labor Market, and Working Class
Political Geography:: India and South America

243. Whose Land Is It and What Is It For? An Unfinished Debate about Land Access in Argentina

Author:: Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research
Publication Date:: 06-2023
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research
Abstract:: How is it that a country like Argentina, with its vast rural territory, longstanding agricultural tradition, and capacity to produce food for hundreds of millions of people, is plagued by runaway inflation and high levels of poverty?
Topic:: Agriculture, Poverty, Capitalism, Inflation, and Land Rights
Political Geography:: Argentina and South America

244. How the International Monetary Fund Is Squeezing Pakistan

Author:: Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research
Publication Date:: 10-2023
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research
Abstract:: To understand the unprecedented contraction of Pakistan’s economy, causing the poor to become significantly poorer, greater scrutiny of how IMF policies undermine economic independence is urgently needed.
Topic:: Poverty, Inequality, Economy, and IMF
Political Geography:: Pakistan and South America

245. Hydrocarbon Prices and Subsidies in Bolivia 1986-2025

Author:: S. Mauricio Medinaceli Monrroy and Marcelo G. Velázquez La Vieja
Publication Date:: 12-2023
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Institute for Advanced Development Studies (INESAD)
Abstract:: The following study identifies five periods with different price regimes (for main hydrocarbons): 1) 1986-1996, where these prices are part of the Government’s fiscal policy to finance part of the structural adjustment policies after the inflationary period; 2) 19971999, when a new methodology for price determination based on three central components is implemented, international reference prices, transport, refining and sale margins and direct, indirect and consumption-specific taxes; 3) 2000-2003, period of privatization of refineries, transport and storage, where policies of stabilization of fuel prices took on greater relevance within the regulatory framework, an aspect that allowed to keep almost unchanged the final prices of gasoline and diesel, but with a considerable fiscal cost due to adjustment of the Special Tax on Hydrocarbons and their Derivatives (IEHD); 4) 2004-2005, where in 2004 a price band was determined for international reference price behavior; in this sense, international prices above USD/barrel 27.11 are not transferred to end consumers; and 5) 2005-2022, because in 2005 the last price adjustment was made (with the 2010 temporary increase exception) for gasoline, diesel oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which remained in force until 2022. Regarding the quantification of subsidies for production and consumption of hydrocarbons in Bolivia, five broad categories were considered in this document: an opportunity cost of selling production to the domestic market instead of its export; a direct import of petrol, diesel and LPG at higher prices for subsequent sale at lower prices; a non-updating of margins from the value chain of petroleum products; a fiscal sacrifice for non-collected VAT (Value Added Tax 13%) and; an incentive given to field operators in Bolivia. In total, it is estimated that by 2022 these five categories will represent 11.6% of gross domestic product (GDP), with the following disaggregation: opportunity cost (5.8%), direct import (3.1%), margin update (1.2%), tax sacrifice – VAT (1.1%), and incentive (0.4%).
Topic:: Economy, Tax Systems, Fiscal Policy, and Hydrocarbons
Political Geography:: South America and Bolivia

246. Inclusive Growth and Decent Jobs by Gender: The Case of Urban Areas in Bolivia

Author:: Beatriz Muriel Hernández and Sergio Mansilla
Publication Date:: 10-2023
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Institute for Advanced Development Studies (INESAD)
Abstract:: This paper presents an empirical study of how inclusive was the extraordinary growth experienced by Bolivia between 2006 and 2019, in terms of decent job generation in urban areas and by gender. For this, we use the Ali and Son (2007) concentration curve of opportunities and approach the jobs with five rates proposed by Muriel (2014, 2019, 2020a, 2020b): i.e. job stability, Christmas wage bonus tenure, social protection access, sufficient labour income and membership of a labour association. The results show that growth was inclusive between 2006 and 2011; but it was not in further periods. Even, the percentage of workers with Christmas wage bonus, sufficient labor income and with affiliation to some labor association were lower in 2019 compared to 2006. In terms of gender gaps, the one associated with sufficient labor income stands out, but the main problems lie in the inequities of access to opportunities within the same female population.
Topic:: Economic Growth, Urban, Gender, Economic Inclusion, and Jobs
Political Geography:: South America and Bolivia

247. Resolver dos problemas de salud rural a la vez: Aportes al abordaje sindémico de la malaria y la leishmanaisis cutánea en el posconflicto colombiano

Author:: Lina Pinto-García
Publication Date:: 03-2023
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios sobre Desarrollo (CIDER), Universidad de los Andes
Abstract:: La malaria y la leishmaniasis cutánea son enfermedades transmitidas por insectos que se presentan año tras año en la ruralidad colombiana. Suelen afectar a poblaciones que habitan, laboran o transitan a través de zonas remotas y disperas del territorio nacional. Las estrategias de salud pública a través de las cuales el estado aborda estas dos enfermedades responden a un paradigma biomédico de la salud, en el cual priman los programas llamados “verticales” por enfocarse en una sola enfermedad a la vez. Este policy paper presenta argumentos de tipo epidemiológico, político e histórico para abogar por un abordaje integrado —sindémico— de la malaria y la leishmaniasis, en medio de un escenario de (pos)conflicto. Se basa en datos cualitativos recolectados en dos proyectos de investigación relacionados, así como en literatura académica y gris relevante. No sugerimos la fusión de dos programas verticales, sino una integración que resulte en un mejor manejo estatal de la leishmaniasis, jalonado por el de la malaria, desde un entendimiento estructural, territorial y socialmente arraigado de la salud.
Topic:: Development, Malaria, Post-Conflict, Disease, and Leishmaniasis
Political Geography:: Colombia and South America

248. Hacia la consolidación del sector de cannabis no psicoactivo en Colombia: Una hoja de ruta para la acción conjunta

Author:: Javier García Estévez, Freddy Zapata Vanegas, and Andrés Guerrero Alvarado
Publication Date:: 11-2023
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios sobre Desarrollo (CIDER), Universidad de los Andes
Abstract:: Este documento tiene como objetivo presentar una propuesta de hoja de ruta para la consolidación del sector de cannabis no psicoactivo en Colombia a través de la identificación de acciones, alianzas y compromisos en los componentes técnico productivo, de negocio y humano.
Topic:: Business, Public Health, and Cannabis
Political Geography:: Colombia and South America

249. El lugar de las reivindicaciones económicas dentro del proceso de paz, el escenario de transición y los movimientos de mujeres y feministas en Colombia

Author:: Diana Montealegre Mongrovejo
Publication Date:: 09-2023
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios sobre Desarrollo (CIDER), Universidad de los Andes
Abstract:: El presente documento de política analiza las estrategias y posturas que emprendieron los movimientos de mujeres y feministas en torno a reivindicaciones económicas y de justicia redistributiva en el más reciente proceso de paz en Colombia (2012-2021). Por su estrecha relación con discusiones recientes sobre desarrollo y paz, se priorizan las reivindicaciones relacionadas con la Reforma Rural Integral y los Planes de Desarrollo con Enfoque Territorial. Metodológicamente se llevaron a cabo para este estudio entrevistas semiestructuradas además de la revisión de comunicados, informes y sistematizaciones de las organizaciones de mujeres y feministas. Lejos de mostrar a estos movimientos como homogéneos, con una sola voz o actuando entorno a estrategias unificadas, se analiza precisamente la diversidad de posturas políticas, puntos de encuentro, desencuentro y tensiones. Las recomendaciones formuladas están orientadas principalmente a la reflexión sobre el lugar de lo económico en las más recientes negociaciones de paz, el escenario de transición por estas habilitado y en los propios movimientos.
Topic:: Social Movement, Reform, Economy, Feminism, and Peace Process
Political Geography:: Colombia and South America

250. Leveraging IBSA for the G20 Troika Presidencies

Author:: Rajiv Bhatia and Manjeet Kripalani
Publication Date:: 11-2023
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations
Abstract:: On December 1, 2023, India will hand over the G20 Presidency to Brazil. The G20 troika will now comprise the three IBSA countries – India, Brazil, South Africa – till November 2025. This trio has an agenda in common and with the G20, such as multilateral reform, energy transitions and digitalisation. IBSA should use its mechanisms and natural solidarity to advance the interests of the Global South.
Topic:: Reform, G20, Digitalization, and Energy Transition
Political Geography:: South Asia, India, Brazil, and South America

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COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS