Common-pool resources in Bolivia

Herber Y.

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Common-pool resources in Bolivia

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Abstract

The age of neoliberalism has posed a threat to the development of communal organization and the success of common-pool resources. The "tragedy of the commons" is the presumed fate of common-pool resources, in which they are either privatized or appropriated by the national government and managed by a government agency. (Ostrom & Dolsak, The Commons in the New Millenium, 6) However, common-pool resources have played a large role in the development of Latin America and will continue to do so in the future. This paper will analyze the characteristics of the "commons", the traits of common-pool resources, specifically natural resources in Bolivia, and the factors affecting their organization.

Introduction
The common-pool resources
The exploitation of natural resources by European elites and the creation of the hacienda system
Empirical cases
Conclusion
Bibliography

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[...] Common-pool resources in Bolivia I. Introduction The age of neoliberalism has posed a threat to the development of communal organization and the success of common-pool resources. The “tragedy of the commons” is the presumed fate of common-pool resources, in which they are either privatized or appropriated by the national government and managed by a government agency. (Ostrom & Dolsak, The Commons in the New Millenium, However, common-pool resources have played a large role in the development of Latin America and will continue to do so in the future. [...]

[...] This paper will serve as a testament to the rules and regulations of common-property resources, it will describe how communal organization can be successful during neoliberalism in Bolivia, and it will analyze two specific empirical cases in Bolivia based upon the precepts of Ostrom and her colleges. II. Theoretical Framework Latin America has forever been a land rich in natural resources. Ancient civilizations, such as the Mayans, Incans and Aztecs, flourished for centuries due to an abundant supply of food and riches, only then to be conquered and practically eliminated as a result of the very land they prospered from. [...]

[...] The second empirical case is that of Ceibo”, an organization for the communal harvesting of organic chocolate and other cocoa products in Bolivia. Since 1977, this “second-floor cooperative” has been owned and run by farmers and their families within smaller cooperatives dispersed throughout the geographic region of Alto Beni. El Ceibo has over 1,200 associates and, as the website describes, it generates direct employment for over 100 people. This very successful organization of a common-pool resource, the cocoa bean, is proof of the resilience of the commons, not the tragedy. [...]

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