Premium
Canadian Mining Interests in Bolivia, 1985–2015: Trajectories of Failures, Successes, and Violence
Author(s) -
Díaz-Cuellar Vladimir,
Francescone Kirsten
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
latin american policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.195
H-Index - 4
eISSN - 2041-7373
pISSN - 2041-7365
DOI - 10.1111/lamp.12108
Subject(s) - government (linguistics) , latin americans , political science , mining industry , politics , work (physics) , social capital , engineering , mechanical engineering , philosophy , linguistics , mining engineering , law
Over the past decade there has been a growing interest in and concern about the actions of Canadian mining companies in Latin America. In this article we contribute to these debates by combining economic, social, and political analyses to examine the development of the Canadian government and the role of Canadian‐headquartered companies in Bolivia's mining industry. First, we review the influence of the Canadian government's development assistance on Bolivian mining policy. Second, we analyze the characteristics of Canadian FDI and its effects on the Bolivian mining sector. We argue that the economic effects of Canadian mining companies in Bolivia have been less than significant. We consider it a failed attempt, since our data suggests that the Canadian government attempted to “make Bolivia work” for mining companies. Finally, we illustrate the specific trajectories of Canadian mining companies with four brief case studies, two mines in operation, and two “failed attempts.” In the first two case studies we examine the development and accumulation of capital. In the second two cases, we focus on the social conflicts, which arose around the exploration activities of two junior mining companies. We argue that junior companies are important to consider when surveying the Canadian government's role in the country.