Impasse in Bolivia
Neoliberal Hegemony and Popular Resistance

Presents a study of the obstacles encountered by neoliberalism and market democracy in Bolivia. This book explores the problems faced by governments in reproducing global strategies at the national level, the tensions between markets and democracy, state restructuring, citizenship and property rights.

Bolivia has experienced two decades of unprecedented mass popular resistance to the consequences of neoliberal policies, led by the indigenous Indian majority and resulting in the resignation and flight of the president in October 2003. This unusual book uncovers the reasons and processes behind the rising opposition - mirrored in country after country in Latin America - to this currently fashionable, internationally prescribed approach to economic development. It explores the problems faced by governments in reproducing global strategies at the national level, the tensions between markets and democracy, state restructuring, citizenship and property rights. It points to the problems inherent in retaining neoliberalism as the dominant paradigm in Latin America and the unlikely prospect of it putting down real roots of approval and legitimacy.

Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Entre fiestas y bloqueos (Between fiestas and blockades)
1: Neoliberal Globalization: The challenge of maintaining hegemony
Neoliberalism
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Neoliberalism in Practice: Structural Adjustment and the Washington Consensus
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Neoliberalism as a Hegemonic System
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Market-democracy
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Neoliberalism and the State
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Resistance to Neoliberalism and Challenges to Hegemony
2: From Francisco de Toledo to Jeffrey Sachs
Reshaping the Andes: The Spanish Invasion
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Republican Heritage: the Legacy of Liberalism
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The Resurgence of Silver and the Rise of Tin
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The Chaco War and the 1952 Revolution
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Military Rule
Return to Civilian Rule and Economic Crisis
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Global Pressure and Local Response
3: The Neoliberal Invasion: Structural Adjustment and the New Economic Policy
Bolivia's Economy before Neoliberalism
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The New Economic Policy and Presidential Decree 21060
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Impacts of the NEP 1985-1994
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Constructing Hegemony: Cocaine, contraband, the informal economy, and remittances
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Constructing Hegemony: Debilitating the COB
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Constructing Hegemony: NGOs and the Church
The MIR-ADN coalition: 1989 to 1994
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Conclusions
4: The Neoliberal Reinvention of Bolivia: The Plan de Todos
Citizenship
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Deepening Citizenship Rights: Constitutional Reform
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Civil Rights: Agrarian and Judicial Reform
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Political Rights: Popular Participation and Administrative Decentralization
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Social Rights: Education Reform
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Social and Economic Rights: Privatization and the Law of Capitalization
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Social Response to the New Laws
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Four Years Restructuring Bolivia: 'If-then' Policies in 'Yes-but' Environments
5: Privatization Bolivian Style
Privatization and the practice of Neoliberalism
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Privatization and Capitalization in Bolivia
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Implementation
Impacts
- New opportunities for Rent-seeking
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Social Responses to Capitalization
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Bolivian Economy after Capitalization
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Conclusions
6: Municipal Reform, Social Movements, and New Electoral Politics
Decentralization, Participation, and Development
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Bolivia's Law of Popular Participation (LPP)
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New roles for Local Actors
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Impacts of the LPP
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The LPP, electoral politics, and social movements
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Conclusions
7: The Neoliberal Wars: Water, Taxes, and Gas
The setting
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Reformulating opposition in the 1990's
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The Water War: a turning point
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Campesino uprisings in April and September 2000
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Rise of landless campesino movement
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The political success of the MAS
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The Tax War
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The Gas War
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Conclusions
8: Global Trends and Local Responses: Contesting Neoliberalism
Neoliberal Hegemony: Fractured, fragmented, and mutilated
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Nationalist challenges to global neoliberal hegemony
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Going global: challenges in constructing an anti-neoliberal discourse
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Limitations of national resistance movements in a global market
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Conclusions
References
Appendix
List of abbreviations