Latin American Extractivism

Reviews / Votes

This volume stands out for bringing to the forefront less wellknown facets and struggles related to extractivism in Latin America. Latin American Extractivism thus provides a rich and detailed panorama of the role of extractivist development policies during a time of retreat for the Pink Tide governments in Latin America. * Socialism and Democracy * Insightful. . . . [An] important contribution to our understanding of the political, economic and cultural dynamics of extractivism in Latin America. * E-International Relations * Steve Ellner and his colleagues have produced a timely and invaluable study on the political and economic balance sheet of the extractivist strategy of development in Latin America. The varied contributions show that there was no one model of extractivism. Rather, the process has been highly contested and differentiated among Latin American countries, in particular, among left-oriented governments who pursued resources nationalism and the more conservative regimes who allied with global capital and followed a more openly neoliberal path. The collection of essays, beyond the specific focus on extractivism, provides an essential guide to making sense of Latin America's recent past and possible futures. As global capitalism now sinks into its worse crisis in a century, all bets are off. This volume provides great insight at a critical moment into the nature of the dynamics of global capitalism, as well as the choices before us as we enter the third decade of the twenty-first century. -- William I. Robinson, University of California at Santa Barbara; author of The Global Police State This well-crafted volume offers fresh perspectives on increasingly dogmatic, closed debates over extractive development. It convincingly argues against tarring all models of extractive development with the same brush. If we focus on the broad distributive consequences of contending approaches to extractive development, then progressive/left approaches versus international capital-centered variants are, simply put, not the same. -- Eduardo Silva, Tulane University A much-needed contribution to the debate over extractivist development models and the ability of leftist governments in Latin America to transform them Steve Ellner and his contributors demonstrate how state-directed policies of resource nationalism differ from those of neoliberal extractivism, and they examine the implications of these policies for the environment, social welfare, and indigenous rights.The book is essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand how states have experimented with alternative models of economic development in Latin America, even within the constraints of global capitalism. -- Kenneth M. Roberts, Cornell University Latin American Extractivism is organized in a way that is easy to read and ideal for classroom use. . . Ellner's book is another successful publication of the Latin American Perspective in the Classroom series. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the complexities of the relationship between the extractive sector and development in Latin America in the age of globalization. -- North American Congress in Latin America Latin American Extractivism creates somewhat of a perfect balance between the achievements of the Pink Tide governments in the use of nationalisation of natural resources and the policies of resource nationalism, the contradictions, and shortcomings of these processes, on the one hand, and the conservative extractivist policies and state coercion exercised by the neoliberal governments of the region, on the other hand. The book serves as a strong answer to both the pessimistic approach of the 'neo-extractivism' crowd and its unbalanced criticism of the new left-wing governments around Latin America, as well as those who completely embrace the Pink Tide with no acknowledgment for the contradictions and the mistakes it has committed. * Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal * The authors successfully demonstrate that not all extractivist models are the same by looking at the connections between resource nationalism and social and economic politics. It will be an excellent addition to courses in Latin American Political Economy. * Hispanic American Historical Review *