Revista europea de estudios latinoamericanos y del caribe/European review of Latin American and Caribbean studies, Feb 27, 2024
Between 2015 and 2018, Chile experienced several political corruption scandals that implicated th... more Between 2015 and 2018, Chile experienced several political corruption scandals that implicated the country's political elite across the party spectrum. However, the outcomes of the ensuing judicial investigations have faced wide-spread criticism for being unsatisfactory, failing to set legal precedence, and weakening Chile's anti-corruption governance. This article addresses the gap between Chile's strong structural and formal conditions and the limited legal consequences faced by politicians involved in corruption. It examines the factors that allowed most politicians and their allies to avoid significant legal penalties. Drawing on different literatures related to professional politicians and political elites, institutional weakness, and agency discretion, the article analyses four prominent political corruption cases. We argue that favourable appointments of sympathetic executives allowed the Chilean political elite to exert control over the discretionary powers of state agencies involved in the legal processes. The article relies on a press review, secondary literature, and expert interviews.
Introduction: the global gold chain as a hybrid regime Gold mining in Peru has a long tradition a... more Introduction: the global gold chain as a hybrid regime Gold mining in Peru has a long tradition and grew significantly during the latest global commodity boom in the 2000s. About one third of the gold mined in Peru is artisanal and produced on a small scale by individ ual miners or small companies washing the mineral out of superficial sediments (referred to in the literature as Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Min ing, henceforth ASGM). The bulk of ASGM production takes place in the Amazon basin, in the department of Madre de Dios, located in the Peruvian south. The Peruvian state currently classifies small-scale gold mining in Madre de Dios into three types (Wieland 2020): formal or legal gold mining 2 , which refers to mining activities that comply with the legal provisions es tablished by the state; illegal gold mining, which refers to mining activities in places where mining is officially forbidden (in so-called "no-go zones"); and informal gold mining carried out by miners who operate without the required legal permits in places where mining is not forbidden. Many miners who have been working for decades in areas closed off for mining are only recently invoking what they consider their consuetudinary right to mine and see themselves as informal and not illegal miners. In some cases, the Peruvian government has accepted this claim. This complex scenario, which includes the coexistence of different cat egories of gold mining in one and the same region, is the result of different policy responses to the sector that have varied over time: small-scale gold mining in Peru was not regulated by the state for most of the time since extraction started in the 19th century, hence it was neither legal nor illegal. Only recently, in 2012, Peruvian governments started to require miners to formalise their activities and to prohibit gold production in several 1.
Geneva: United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), 2020
The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous research i... more The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous research institute within the UN system that undertakes interdisciplinary research and policy analysis on the social dimensions of contemporary development issues. Through our work we aim to ensure that social equity, inclusion and justice are central to development thinking, policy and practice.
This course offers insights into the dynamics and outcomes of current social conflicts over extra... more This course offers insights into the dynamics and outcomes of current social conflicts over extractivism in Latin America (particularly in the Andean region). It is structured as follows: Firstly, it will present some conceptual and theoretical insights related to the study of social conflicts in general and conflicts over nature in particular. Then it will proceed to an analysis of current conflicts over extractivism in Latin America: the different types, causes, processes of mobilization and organization-building, structural factors that shape them and outcomes. Each session contains recommendations for preparatory reading.
Este artículo analiza variaciones significativas entre dos conflictos en torno a la minería enChi... more Este artículo analiza variaciones significativas entre dos conflictos en torno a la minería enChile con respecto al grado, la escala y los resultados de las contiendas: los conflictos enChañaral, donde la empresa estatal Codelco opera, y en el valle del Huasco (Pascua Lama),donde una empresa privada transnacional está a cargo. En el primer caso la oposición contrala minería es baja y aislada, y el Estado no responde a las demandas locales. En contraste, elproyecto Pascua Lama motivó protestas a gran escala, obtuvo apoyo nacional e internacionaly logró que el Estado actuara en beneficio de las demandas locales. Tres factores explican estasdiferencias: primero, el contexto económico local, es decir, la dependencia que un determinadolugar tiene de la industria minera afecta el grado de movilización; segundo, la presencia de laempresa pública reduce tanto la disposición general de oponerse a la actividad minera comolas oportunidades de multiplicar las escalas del conflicto. Además, el E...
Since the publication of the Brundtland Report in 1987, social inequality has been a topic of con... more Since the publication of the Brundtland Report in 1987, social inequality has been a topic of concern for the international development community. In the last decade, given the rise of global inequality the subject gained even more prominence as several international organizations (UNDP, World Bank, OECD) began emphasizing the negative impact of social inequality on human well- being. The Agenda 2030, the current development strategy adopted by the United Nations in 2015, elevated "reducing inequality" to one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (Goal No. 10). This paper connects with this growing concern over the impact of social inequalities on the opportunities for sustainable development. It proposes a research agenda for the social sciences to contribute to the debate by identifying the causal mechanisms that constitute the nexus between social inequalities and sustainable development. The focus on these intermediary steps is important in order to understand in mor...
X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) signals are usually absent in antiferromagnets. In this ... more X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) signals are usually absent in antiferromagnets. In this letter, we report the observation of spontaneous XMCD spectra originating from the inverse triangular spin structure, or the polarization of the cluster magnetic octupole, in the chiral antiferromagnet Mn 3 Sn thin film. The result is consistent with the recent theoretical predictions that the inverse triangular spin structure can give rise to finite XMCD signals in the absence of net magnetization [
The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous research i... more The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous research institute within the UN system that undertakes multidisciplinary research and policy analysis on the social dimensions of contemporary development issues. Through our work we aim to ensure that social equity, inclusion and justice are central to development thinking, policy and practice.
From business to war: Although illicit markets are generally peaceful, at times they burst into m... more From business to war: Although illicit markets are generally peaceful, at times they burst into massive transitional violence. One example for such an upsurge in violence is Mexico where the drug cartels are engaged in a bloody war. The Mexican case reveals that two interrelated factors can incite transitional illegal violence. First, market changes that close or open up business opportunities can lead to violent criminal competition. Second, political changes can cause or increase criminal violence. When collusive state-crime relations erode and the state increases law enforcement against criminal groups, they are likely to fight back. Both factors are tightly connected: criminal competition may erode protection rackets and incite harsher law enforcement. Law enforcement in turn may lead to the fragmentation of crime groups and cause more violent competition. Massive criminal violence is fed by further factors such as the easy availability of both weapons and specialists in violenc...
Embracing the issue of sustainable development in a holistic approach focusing on all areas of th... more Embracing the issue of sustainable development in a holistic approach focusing on all areas of the university is, therefore, crucial. In addition, given the similar structures and missions at most universities, an exchange on topics related to the promotion of sustainability on and outside of academic campuses holds the promise of synergies, mutual learning, and the diffusion of innovative approaches and concrete initiatives. This dimension, sometimes referred to as the "third mission," should explicitly entail transdisciplinary outreach: HEI are in a unique position to reach out to non-academic actors, promoting an exchange with civil society, business, and policy circles, and supporting them in their initiatives for achieving more sustainable ways of being, while at the same time learning from other societal spheres. Many universities already embrace this "third mission" and engage with societal needs and market demands by linking their activities with the socioeconomic context they are situated in. Again, this is especially important with respect to the complex and multidimensional topic of sustainability or sustainable development, which concerns social groups around the world. The holistic approach, also referred to as "whole institution approach," does not only call for implementing sustainability in research, teaching, campus management, and "third mission" / transdisciplinary outreach. It also highlights the importance of connecting these different fields of action to systematically address an overarching topic like sustainability. This publication embraces the holistic approach to sustainability in HEI and explores cases of HEI around the world that put it into practice.
Este artículo analiza variaciones significativas entre dos conflictos en torno a la minería en Ch... more Este artículo analiza variaciones significativas entre dos conflictos en torno a la minería en Chile con respecto al grado, la escala y los resultados de las contiendas: los conflictos en Chañaral, donde la empresa estatal Codelco opera, y en el valle del Huasco (Pascua Lama), donde una empresa privada transnacional está a cargo. En el primer caso la oposición contra la minería es baja y aislada, y el Estado no responde a las demandas locales. En contraste, el proyecto Pascua Lama motivó protestas a gran escala, obtuvo apoyo nacional e internacional y logró que el Estado actuara en beneficio de las demandas locales. Tres factores explican estas diferencias: primero, el contexto económico local, es decir, la dependencia que un determinado lugar tiene de la industria minera afecta el grado de movilización; segundo, la presencia de la empresa pública reduce tanto la disposición general de oponerse a la actividad minera como las oportunidades de multiplicar las escalas del conflicto. Además, el Estado tiende a proteger a las empresas públicas que proporcionan ingresos fiscales importantes. Por último, el origen de la empresa (nacional-transnacional) influye en la escala, así como en los resultados, de los conflictos mineros.
While research on universities’ role in sustainability transitions has flourished in recent years... more While research on universities’ role in sustainability transitions has flourished in recent years, explorations into the potential of academic internationalization for the promotion of sustainability transitions are still rare. This article aims at contributing to this incipient literature by emphasizing an underexplored property of international academic networks and transnational academic cooperation: their potential to break disciplinary and geographical barriers in the global debates on how transitions towards sustainability can be achieved. When realizing this potential, international partnerships are able to provide more comprehensive knowledge to inform sustainability transitions while shaping sustainability transitions in various places at the same time. This article pursues three objectives: First, it introduces the concept of the “global knowledge value chain on sustainability” and explores its value as a heuristic to understand global knowledge production relevant for sus...
Revista europea de estudios latinoamericanos y del caribe/European review of Latin American and Caribbean studies, Feb 27, 2024
Between 2015 and 2018, Chile experienced several political corruption scandals that implicated th... more Between 2015 and 2018, Chile experienced several political corruption scandals that implicated the country's political elite across the party spectrum. However, the outcomes of the ensuing judicial investigations have faced wide-spread criticism for being unsatisfactory, failing to set legal precedence, and weakening Chile's anti-corruption governance. This article addresses the gap between Chile's strong structural and formal conditions and the limited legal consequences faced by politicians involved in corruption. It examines the factors that allowed most politicians and their allies to avoid significant legal penalties. Drawing on different literatures related to professional politicians and political elites, institutional weakness, and agency discretion, the article analyses four prominent political corruption cases. We argue that favourable appointments of sympathetic executives allowed the Chilean political elite to exert control over the discretionary powers of state agencies involved in the legal processes. The article relies on a press review, secondary literature, and expert interviews.
Introduction: the global gold chain as a hybrid regime Gold mining in Peru has a long tradition a... more Introduction: the global gold chain as a hybrid regime Gold mining in Peru has a long tradition and grew significantly during the latest global commodity boom in the 2000s. About one third of the gold mined in Peru is artisanal and produced on a small scale by individ ual miners or small companies washing the mineral out of superficial sediments (referred to in the literature as Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Min ing, henceforth ASGM). The bulk of ASGM production takes place in the Amazon basin, in the department of Madre de Dios, located in the Peruvian south. The Peruvian state currently classifies small-scale gold mining in Madre de Dios into three types (Wieland 2020): formal or legal gold mining 2 , which refers to mining activities that comply with the legal provisions es tablished by the state; illegal gold mining, which refers to mining activities in places where mining is officially forbidden (in so-called "no-go zones"); and informal gold mining carried out by miners who operate without the required legal permits in places where mining is not forbidden. Many miners who have been working for decades in areas closed off for mining are only recently invoking what they consider their consuetudinary right to mine and see themselves as informal and not illegal miners. In some cases, the Peruvian government has accepted this claim. This complex scenario, which includes the coexistence of different cat egories of gold mining in one and the same region, is the result of different policy responses to the sector that have varied over time: small-scale gold mining in Peru was not regulated by the state for most of the time since extraction started in the 19th century, hence it was neither legal nor illegal. Only recently, in 2012, Peruvian governments started to require miners to formalise their activities and to prohibit gold production in several 1.
Geneva: United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), 2020
The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous research i... more The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous research institute within the UN system that undertakes interdisciplinary research and policy analysis on the social dimensions of contemporary development issues. Through our work we aim to ensure that social equity, inclusion and justice are central to development thinking, policy and practice.
This course offers insights into the dynamics and outcomes of current social conflicts over extra... more This course offers insights into the dynamics and outcomes of current social conflicts over extractivism in Latin America (particularly in the Andean region). It is structured as follows: Firstly, it will present some conceptual and theoretical insights related to the study of social conflicts in general and conflicts over nature in particular. Then it will proceed to an analysis of current conflicts over extractivism in Latin America: the different types, causes, processes of mobilization and organization-building, structural factors that shape them and outcomes. Each session contains recommendations for preparatory reading.
Este artículo analiza variaciones significativas entre dos conflictos en torno a la minería enChi... more Este artículo analiza variaciones significativas entre dos conflictos en torno a la minería enChile con respecto al grado, la escala y los resultados de las contiendas: los conflictos enChañaral, donde la empresa estatal Codelco opera, y en el valle del Huasco (Pascua Lama),donde una empresa privada transnacional está a cargo. En el primer caso la oposición contrala minería es baja y aislada, y el Estado no responde a las demandas locales. En contraste, elproyecto Pascua Lama motivó protestas a gran escala, obtuvo apoyo nacional e internacionaly logró que el Estado actuara en beneficio de las demandas locales. Tres factores explican estasdiferencias: primero, el contexto económico local, es decir, la dependencia que un determinadolugar tiene de la industria minera afecta el grado de movilización; segundo, la presencia de laempresa pública reduce tanto la disposición general de oponerse a la actividad minera comolas oportunidades de multiplicar las escalas del conflicto. Además, el E...
Since the publication of the Brundtland Report in 1987, social inequality has been a topic of con... more Since the publication of the Brundtland Report in 1987, social inequality has been a topic of concern for the international development community. In the last decade, given the rise of global inequality the subject gained even more prominence as several international organizations (UNDP, World Bank, OECD) began emphasizing the negative impact of social inequality on human well- being. The Agenda 2030, the current development strategy adopted by the United Nations in 2015, elevated "reducing inequality" to one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (Goal No. 10). This paper connects with this growing concern over the impact of social inequalities on the opportunities for sustainable development. It proposes a research agenda for the social sciences to contribute to the debate by identifying the causal mechanisms that constitute the nexus between social inequalities and sustainable development. The focus on these intermediary steps is important in order to understand in mor...
X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) signals are usually absent in antiferromagnets. In this ... more X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) signals are usually absent in antiferromagnets. In this letter, we report the observation of spontaneous XMCD spectra originating from the inverse triangular spin structure, or the polarization of the cluster magnetic octupole, in the chiral antiferromagnet Mn 3 Sn thin film. The result is consistent with the recent theoretical predictions that the inverse triangular spin structure can give rise to finite XMCD signals in the absence of net magnetization [
The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous research i... more The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous research institute within the UN system that undertakes multidisciplinary research and policy analysis on the social dimensions of contemporary development issues. Through our work we aim to ensure that social equity, inclusion and justice are central to development thinking, policy and practice.
From business to war: Although illicit markets are generally peaceful, at times they burst into m... more From business to war: Although illicit markets are generally peaceful, at times they burst into massive transitional violence. One example for such an upsurge in violence is Mexico where the drug cartels are engaged in a bloody war. The Mexican case reveals that two interrelated factors can incite transitional illegal violence. First, market changes that close or open up business opportunities can lead to violent criminal competition. Second, political changes can cause or increase criminal violence. When collusive state-crime relations erode and the state increases law enforcement against criminal groups, they are likely to fight back. Both factors are tightly connected: criminal competition may erode protection rackets and incite harsher law enforcement. Law enforcement in turn may lead to the fragmentation of crime groups and cause more violent competition. Massive criminal violence is fed by further factors such as the easy availability of both weapons and specialists in violenc...
Embracing the issue of sustainable development in a holistic approach focusing on all areas of th... more Embracing the issue of sustainable development in a holistic approach focusing on all areas of the university is, therefore, crucial. In addition, given the similar structures and missions at most universities, an exchange on topics related to the promotion of sustainability on and outside of academic campuses holds the promise of synergies, mutual learning, and the diffusion of innovative approaches and concrete initiatives. This dimension, sometimes referred to as the "third mission," should explicitly entail transdisciplinary outreach: HEI are in a unique position to reach out to non-academic actors, promoting an exchange with civil society, business, and policy circles, and supporting them in their initiatives for achieving more sustainable ways of being, while at the same time learning from other societal spheres. Many universities already embrace this "third mission" and engage with societal needs and market demands by linking their activities with the socioeconomic context they are situated in. Again, this is especially important with respect to the complex and multidimensional topic of sustainability or sustainable development, which concerns social groups around the world. The holistic approach, also referred to as "whole institution approach," does not only call for implementing sustainability in research, teaching, campus management, and "third mission" / transdisciplinary outreach. It also highlights the importance of connecting these different fields of action to systematically address an overarching topic like sustainability. This publication embraces the holistic approach to sustainability in HEI and explores cases of HEI around the world that put it into practice.
Este artículo analiza variaciones significativas entre dos conflictos en torno a la minería en Ch... more Este artículo analiza variaciones significativas entre dos conflictos en torno a la minería en Chile con respecto al grado, la escala y los resultados de las contiendas: los conflictos en Chañaral, donde la empresa estatal Codelco opera, y en el valle del Huasco (Pascua Lama), donde una empresa privada transnacional está a cargo. En el primer caso la oposición contra la minería es baja y aislada, y el Estado no responde a las demandas locales. En contraste, el proyecto Pascua Lama motivó protestas a gran escala, obtuvo apoyo nacional e internacional y logró que el Estado actuara en beneficio de las demandas locales. Tres factores explican estas diferencias: primero, el contexto económico local, es decir, la dependencia que un determinado lugar tiene de la industria minera afecta el grado de movilización; segundo, la presencia de la empresa pública reduce tanto la disposición general de oponerse a la actividad minera como las oportunidades de multiplicar las escalas del conflicto. Además, el Estado tiende a proteger a las empresas públicas que proporcionan ingresos fiscales importantes. Por último, el origen de la empresa (nacional-transnacional) influye en la escala, así como en los resultados, de los conflictos mineros.
While research on universities’ role in sustainability transitions has flourished in recent years... more While research on universities’ role in sustainability transitions has flourished in recent years, explorations into the potential of academic internationalization for the promotion of sustainability transitions are still rare. This article aims at contributing to this incipient literature by emphasizing an underexplored property of international academic networks and transnational academic cooperation: their potential to break disciplinary and geographical barriers in the global debates on how transitions towards sustainability can be achieved. When realizing this potential, international partnerships are able to provide more comprehensive knowledge to inform sustainability transitions while shaping sustainability transitions in various places at the same time. This article pursues three objectives: First, it introduces the concept of the “global knowledge value chain on sustainability” and explores its value as a heuristic to understand global knowledge production relevant for sus...
El progreso en términos de desarrollo humano, i.e. la mejora de indicadores de educación, salud e... more El progreso en términos de desarrollo humano, i.e. la mejora de indicadores de educación, salud e ingresos económicos, ha sido extremadamente lento en los países de la región andina. Sin embargo, en las últimas dos décadas (desde el comienzo del año 2000) la región experimentó una fase de auge económico resultante de un boom en los precios de materias primas (minerales, gas, petróleo, productos agroindustriales, entre otros) en el mercado mundial inducido por un aumento significativo de la demanda de la China y otros países surasiáticos como la India (i.a. Bridge, 2004; Bebbington y Bury, 2013). Contrastando este desarrollo alentador, los países de la región andina continúan enfrentando enormes desafíos en términos de desarrollo humano, sobre todo al incluir la variable sostenibilidad: tanto ambiental, como también económica y social (por lo tanto: hablar de un desarrollo sostenible). Además, dado que los precios para algunas materias primas de exportación disminuyeron considerablemente en el mercado global dando fin al auge económico de las últimas décadas, la región se ve confrontada con nuevos desafíos para la sostenibilidad.
Social Conflicts over Extractivism in Latin America: Concepts, Theories and Empirical Evidence Course Reader, 2018
Induced by an upsurge in global demand for mineral and fossil fuels as well as agricultural commo... more Induced by an upsurge in global demand for mineral and fossil fuels as well as agricultural commodities, investments in extractive industries have grown significantly in the last two decades in Latin America (Bridge 2004). All over the continent, this increase in extractive projects has caused a rise in social conflicts (Hoogenboom 2012; Bebbington 2012a; Bebbington / Bury 2013). Indeed, conflicts over how to use natural resources are among the most visible social conflicts in current Latin America. These conflicts have profoundly shaped the face of many resource-dependent countries in the region (and continue to do so). They (and their consequences) have a deep impact on peoples’ daily lives as well as on their future well-being: they can generate situations of violent confrontations (among people in the local community, with companies or with the state) or they can severely damage social cohesion and trust and thereby impede social and economic stability. On the other hand, social conflicts can produce positive social or political changes, for instance they may derive in lead to processes of institutional innovation that ultimately improve peoples’ situations. This course offers insights into the dynamics and outcomes of current social conflicts over extractivism in Latin America (particularly in the Andean region). It is structured as follows: Firstly, it will present some conceptual and theoretical insights related to the study of social conflicts in general and conflicts over nature in particular. Then it will proceed to an analysis of current conflicts over extractivism in Latin America: the different types, causes, processes of mobilization and organization-building, structural factors that shape them and outcomes. Each session contains recommendations for preparatory reading. All other references can be found in the general biography at the end of the document.
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Papers by Bettina Schorr
región experimentó una fase de auge económico resultante de un boom en los precios de materias primas (minerales, gas, petróleo, productos agroindustriales, entre otros) en el mercado mundial inducido por un aumento significativo de la demanda de la China y otros países surasiáticos como la India (i.a. Bridge, 2004; Bebbington y Bury, 2013).
Contrastando este desarrollo alentador, los países de la región andina continúan enfrentando enormes desafíos en términos de desarrollo humano, sobre todo al incluir la variable sostenibilidad: tanto ambiental, como también económica y social (por lo tanto: hablar de un desarrollo sostenible). Además, dado que los precios para algunas materias primas de exportación disminuyeron considerablemente en el mercado global dando fin al auge económico de las últimas décadas, la región se ve confrontada con nuevos desafíos para la sostenibilidad.
These conflicts have profoundly shaped the face of many resource-dependent countries in the region (and continue to do so). They (and their consequences) have a deep impact on peoples’ daily lives as well as on their future well-being: they can generate situations of violent confrontations (among people in the local community, with companies or with the state) or they can severely damage social cohesion and trust and thereby impede social and economic stability. On the other hand, social conflicts can produce positive social or political changes, for instance they may derive in lead to processes of institutional innovation that ultimately improve peoples’ situations.
This course offers insights into the dynamics and outcomes of current social conflicts over extractivism in Latin America (particularly in the Andean region). It is structured as follows: Firstly, it will present some conceptual and theoretical insights related to the study of social conflicts in general and conflicts over nature in particular. Then it will proceed to an analysis of current conflicts over extractivism in Latin America: the different types, causes, processes of mobilization and organization-building, structural factors that shape them and outcomes. Each session contains recommendations for preparatory reading. All other references can be found in the general biography at the end of the document.