CERLAC

Canadian Mining Companies in Latin America
 

Canadian companies are at the forefront of mining investment in Latin America, but are they bringing the benefits of development to the people of the region or only the costs?  This critical question formed the basis of a three-day conference co-hosted by CERLAC and MiningWatch Canada, held from May 9 to 11, 2002.  The event convened academics, NGO workers, Canadian government officials, corporate representatives, and social activists from both Latin America and Canada in order to address the tension between community rights and corporate social responsibility in the context of Canadian mining investment in Latin America.

The conference took place just prior to a large industry-organized meeting in Toronto about which a number of key Canadian NGOs and other independent voices had voiced serious concern.  With the major industry stakeholders converging in Toronto to present their formal position, it seemed an opportune and important moment for an open and informed debate on these issues involving a broader range of relevant actors.

The 1990s witnessed an enormous expansion in the activities of Canadian mining companies throughout Central and South America, bringing profound socio-economic change and conflict to numerous rural communities.  Because of its substantial resource requirements, both capital and natural, and its usual location in rural areas, mining perhaps more than any other productive activity brings the private control of production by foreign investors into direct conflict with communities where production exists in a more explicitly social form. Thus, conference discussion largely revolved around relations of production in mineral exploitation, the distribution of related costs and benefits, questions of social power, and the conflict between distinct interpretations of “development.”

Ricardo Grinspun’s compelling introduction, entitled The Context of “Corporate Social Responsibility,” set an appropriately pressing tone for a productive dialogue among the major stakeholders present at the conference.

Organized on the basis of national case studies, the conference was powerfully enhanced by the participation of a number of national activists from across Latin America, including Francisco Ojeda Riofrio, President of the Front in Defence of Tambogrande in Peru, Pedro Gómez Rocabado of the Centro de Promoción Minera (CEPROMIN) in Bolivia, Cesar Padilla from the Observatorio Latinoamericano de Conflictos Ambientales in Chile, Luis Merino from Acción Ecológica in Ecuador, Francisco Ramírez, President of the Colombian State Mine Workers Union, Adriana Concepción Estrada from FUNDAR research centre in Mexico, Manuel Glave, Research Associate with GRADE (Development Analysis Group) in Peru, and Jose De Echave, Head of the Mining and Communities Program at the Lima-based NGO CooperAccion.  The contributions of Canadian NGO workers, including Joan Kuyek and Alan Young of MiningWatch Canada, Nedjo Rogers of the Environmental Mining Council of BC, Anneli Tolvanen, independent researcher, Keith Stewart of the Toronto Environmental Alliance, and John Foster of the North-South Institute, were also invaluable.  Canadian labour activists, such as Ken Luckhardt from the International Department of the Canadian Auto Workers, and Judith Marshall of the Steelworkers Humanity Fund brought their rich experience to the forum, which was complemented by the contributions of academic researchers like Viviana Patroni, CERLAC Director, David Szablowski, Doctoral Candidate at Osgoode, Sara Seck, Doctoral Candidate at Osgoode, and Darryl Reed, Coordinator of the Business and Society Program at York.  The attendance of Canadian government officials and corporate representatives contributed significantly to the constructive electricity of conference dialogue.

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Argentina: A Crisis Foretold
By Cathy Carlyle
Re-published from the York Gazette
 

Crowds rioting for food, the middle class protesting against banking restrictions and, most shocking of all, poor fighting poor ­ York's Viviana Patroni witnessed it all during a recent visit to Argentina. Wanting to present an analysis of what she had seen, she gave a seminar at the University entitled "Argentina: A Crisis Foretold.”

Patroni, director of CERLAC (Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean), reviewed the political climate which led to the current crisis in the country, laying much of the blame at the feet of neoliberalism and saying that past governments have ignored the unfolding calamity since the mid-1970s.

Some of the early neoliberal policies ­ government attempts at privatization and an anti-inflationary policy based on currency over-valuation ­ resulted in foreign indebtedness that produced a crisis in 1982," said Patroni. Inflation continued to plague Argentina, "eating up a considerable chunk of real salaries" in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  In 1991 the government imposed the Convertibility Law through which one fixed exchange rate was set so the peso was at parity with the American dollar. "This was a successful move in one way: it abated the problem of inflation.  On the other hand, it presented some serious shortcomings," said Patroni.

She said as the decade advanced the peso became increasingly overvalued so that imports began to displace national industries and there was a large drop in exports. "In short, there was a very large trade deficit."  Correspondingly, there was the country's dependence on external financing, which eventually led to an increase in the country's foreign debt and wariness among bond investors. The only way the country could secure the placement of new bonds was by paying extremely high premiums. Speculators were the "winners" throughout, said Patroni, since they could borrow in international markets at lower rates than if they invested their money within the country. "People borrowed abroad, invested in Argentina's financial market and took the money out.

Finally, the IMF (International Monetary Fund) put together several rescue packages so Argentina could continue to pay the interest on its loans. Argentina staggered along, carrying the burden of its burgeoning foreign debt.
Between 1991 and 1999 the public debt increased to approximately US$155 billion from US$58.5 billion.

In the early days the Convertibility Law produced some economic growth, according to Patroni, thanks to the inflow of foreign currency. However, a downside emerged by 1996: unemployment and underemployment among the lower and some of the middle income earners. At the same time, the top earners saw a 26 per cent rise in income. "Today more than 40 per cent of Argentinians live under the poverty line, compared to 5.8 per cent in 1974."

Social unrest ensued, she said. Protestors began to speak out against the government and its controls, making their wishes known through marches, absenteeism at voting time, even though voting is compulsory in Argentina, and spoiled ballots.

By 1998 a combination of the above factors, including widespread poverty and very high levels of foreign indebtedness, pushed Argentina into recession. "Powerful economic groups then tried to reduce payments for taxes and wages, further deepening the recession," said Patroni. She pointed out that major corporations, however, such as those in the petroleum industry, had been exempt from paying taxes all along.

Still, capital continued to fly out of the country until the government intervened to limit bank withdrawals to US$1,000, and sharply cut state salaries and state pensions. Thousands of people protested by joining marches and, in some cases, looting supermarkets.

"Why did the government impose such limits? To try and prevent the collapse of the banking system. It was actually the banks that pushed for those controls. But the reduction in the availability of cash had a very negative impact on the economy. There was a social explosion instead," explained Patroni.

In short succession several presidents came and were ousted until the arrival of Eduardo Duhalde, a politician who at first appeared critical of neoliberalism. Although he devalued the peso to the US dollar, he is attempting to appease agitators (from mainly the middle class) who are irate at the banking controls, said Patroni.   So far he has eased some restrictions on how much money Argentinians can move from dollar savings accounts to peso accounts. However, citizens are still unable to cash cheques and the banks will no longer give out US dollars. In fury, many have tried to destroy the banks by throwing bricks and burning them down.

Patroni said a completely new economic plan is needed to address the escalating problems of unemployment and poverty. She feels Brazil could play a key role in Argentina's ongoing battle to recover.

Poverty, Crisis and Insecurity
Latin America and The Caribbean After September 11th
 

“Everything has changed,” proclaimed the mainstream media after the horrific events of September 11.  But from the vantage point of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, many things remain the same: persistent poverty, striking social and economic disparities, speculative capital and financial crises, environmental degradation, growing human insecurity, and expanding conflict zones.  Some things do seem to have changed, though.  The “war on terrorism” (following in the footsteps of the “war on drugs”) provides further opportunity for the strengthening of authoritarian forces and the aggressive pursuit of U.S. interests in the region, while regional economies are “liberalized” and integrated to better respond to the needs of transnational capital.
In the interest of generating informed discussion of these pressing issues, York’s Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLAC) held a one-day conference entitled “Latin America and the Caribbean After September 11:  Poverty, Crisis, and Insecurity” on February 8, 2002.  The event was timed to take place in the context of International Development Week at York University, and sought to promote critical dialogue regarding the implications of ‘the war against terrorism’ for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The morning session of the workshop centered upon the keynote address of Alejandro Bendaña, noted Nicaraguan intellectual and social activist, and formerly Secretary-General of the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry during the Sandinista government.  Mr. Bendaña highlighted the significance of ‘terrorist’ rhetoric in supporting intensified militarization throughout the region, the role of the US in promoting this process, and the threat posed to left wing activists and politicians attempting to instigate progressive change in the post-September 11 environment.  In his presentation, Mr. Bendaña focused upon the vital need to create and maintain spaces for resistance and the generation of alternatives to the American-dominated neoliberal world order.  Viviana Patroni, Director of CERLAC and Professor with the Division of Social Science at York, responded to Mr. Bendaña’s presentation by exploring these issues in relation to the crisis in Argentina.  In his response, Gregory Albo, Professor with the Department of Political Science at York, focused upon the intensification of American imperialism post-September 11.

The afternoon session was organized around a panel discussion including presentations by Kathy Price of KAIROS (Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives), Ricardo Grinspun, CERLAC affiliate and Professor of Economics at York, and Carlos Larrea of FLACSO, Ecuador, visiting fellow at Harvard University.  Ms. Price addressed the intensification of militarization and the related climate of fear in Colombia post-September 11th.  Professor Grinspun focused upon the exclusionary, violent character of the global economy, and its ideological underpinnings within the context of intensified global militarization.  Sr. Larrea provided a comprehensive overview of the situation in Ecuador, drawing attention to the most pressing challenges facing Latin America today, namely, vast unemployment, widespread poverty, and growing inequality.

During the course of the conference, several critical concerns were raised regarding the significance of the events of September 11th and the subsequent “war on terrorism” for the region.  As articulated by Bendaña and elaborated upon by subsequent presenters, particularly Greg Albo, the events of September 11th have enabled the U.S. to expand its ‘zone of influence’ to include regions of the world that were previously off-limits, especially in Central Asia.

A related concern was the fear that the events of September 11th and intensified militarization in Latin America have left little room for opposition.  Those groups challenging the neoliberal order, under the auspices of the U.S., are increasingly vulnerable to accusations of being ‘terrorists.’  As described by Bendaña, the ‘terrorist threat’ is being used by right-wing governments throughout the region to violently exclude opposition groups and justify the militarization of Latin America under the guidance of the U.S.  This reality was made particularly clear by Kathy Price’s discussion of the intensification of violence and attendant ‘climate of fear’ in Colombia since September.

The potential for generating substantive alternatives to the American-dominated neoliberal order was discussed by a number of panellists.  Ricardo Grinspun provided a comprehensive analysis of the current global economy, drawing attention to its exclusionary nature and dependence upon military means.  In her discussion of the current crisis in Argentina, Viviana Patroni drew attention to the difficulties of building a united alternative to this neoliberal world order, and highlighted the importance of recognizing the class divisions that characterize current opposition movements.  Carlos Larrea outlined some of the most pressing issues facing Latin America today and emphasized the need to continue discussing alternatives despite the critical barriers to their implementation.

The conference provided a valuable forum for substantive dialogue regarding the significance of September 11 and the subsequent “war on terrorism” for Latin America.  It is hoped that the crucial observances made regarding the exclusionary nature of the current global economy, the process of militarization, and regional inequalities will assist in generating progressive alternatives to neoliberalism.

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"Lies! Damn Lies!"
Jamaica, the FTAA, and the Environment
JOHN MAXWELL AT YORK
Reprinted from York University Gazette
 

John Maxwell is a Jamaican journalist known for his progressive and critical stance. His columns appear in the Jamaica Observer daily newspaper and for many years he was host of Jamaica's interventionist radio program, The Public Eye. He has been active in environmental organizations and citizen-based groups.

As tear gas canisters flew atop a Quebec City overpass and landed nearby noisily blasting noxious smoke, Jamaican journalist John Maxwell said he felt as though he were in a third world country. In the CERLAC-sponsored talk at York, "Lies! Damn Lies! Jamaica, the FTAA and the Environment," Maxwell underplayed the fear and violence he witnessed on the streets at the People's Summit in Quebec City, but everyone in the room could feel it.

"Those canisters fell among a couple of hundred people who were serving food to anyone who was hungry, away from the main scene of action," he said quietly. "It was a humane service. No one was breaking the law…The bombing was intense and it was everywhere."

He accused the mainstream media of failing to properly report the terrorizing of people. "I have been a journalist for more than 40 years, and my profession made me feel ashamed. The public was not given the information they needed to understand why so many people were willing to risk injury and arrest to make their positions clear."  Journalists were not the only culprits in this, Maxwell added. Professors and other intellectuals dismissed protesters as merely boisterous people out for a rave, instead of attempting to understand why they were demonstrating.

"Under the FTAA, nations won't be able to regulate
the exploitation of their own resources, defend their
social services, treat their own nationalists more favourably
than outsiders or regulate toxic materials.”

"People cannot understand why Bangladesh cannot afford to keep its children in school. Why don't they ask why there is a subsistence existence there and in other developing countries? It's not because Bangladeshis and Haitians are lazy; it's not because Jamaicans and Mexicans are happy-go-lucky idlers. It's due to a history of exploitation and degradation. The history of the last 100 years in the developing world has been a continuation of the previous 400."

Jamaica has deregulated its currency numerous times in the last 25 years, said Maxwell, "making standards easier for foreign investors. We've privatized, selling our assets at fire sale prices, and liberalized tariffs and destroyed local industries by doing so. Yet we are still not competitive…The IMF (International Monetary Fund) recently praised our performance and said we had been a success. If we've been a success then God help the failures.

"Jamaican family society is falling apart," he added, listing some of the problems: astronomical university fees; rampant poverty stopping many children from attending school; high numbers of children involved in crime; and the annual 20 per cent suicide rate of 14-year boys in one parish.

He made dire predictions for countries involved in the FTAA. "Under the FTAA, nations won't be able to regulate the exploitation of their own resources, defend their social services, treat their own nationalists more favourably than outsiders or regulate toxic materials.”

"In the old days, if people didn't like a law they changed it. Now nations will be restricted to minor matters if the issues involve trade in any way. They won't be able to enforce minimum standards that might be considered adequate by other cultures. Child labour laws will probably be absent under the FTAA because in some countries men and women who are unemployed are allowed to exploit their children." ?

Quebec Summit:
Fences, Tear Gas & Eroding Democracy
By Martha Tancock
Reprinted from York University Gazette
 

Sheila Gruner will remember the Quebec Summit as random acts of police violence - tear gas lobbed into crowds sitting down, at people reading the Charter of Rights and Freedoms on a side street, at people wearing bandannas and cameras.

"I saw random acts of extreme violence on the part of the police," the York environmental studies graduate student told about 15 students and professors at a post-summit forum May 9, 2002.

The fence, especially, came to represent a `threat to democracy,' the theme of the forum organized by Mark Dickinson, a graduate assistant with CERLAC.

"The fence was the greatest symbol of violence," said Katia Berdishevsky, a political science graduate student. She said she was shocked by the fence, by being excluded and frightened by the tear gas-throwing police. "We should be worried. This is a huge wake-up call."

"What happened in Quebec was a big step backwards in terms of democracy," said Ricardo Grinspun, CERLAC Fellow and York economics professor. He attended - and found hope in - the Second Peoples' Summit, a gathering of people from the Americas interested in alternatives to free trade.

Grinspun also found reason for optimism. "It was a big step forward" in that it brought together a fledgling social movement and youth - literally. The  Peoples' Summit march merged with students marching toward the fence. "Building a social movement is a major step forward."

"What happened in Quebec was a big step
backwards in terms of democracy."

The media were perceived as threats to democracy. CERLAC founding Chair Louis Lefeber said: "The media did not fulfill their democratic function." They minimized police violence and wrongly equated protesters' opposition to free trade as opposition to all trade.

"I think the state showed its trump card," said Mustafa Henaway, a third-year political science student. The Canadian government showed it was on the side of power, not the people who elected them,” he suggested. “The CEOs of media corporations were behind the fence" where they could protect their power."

"Viable solutions do exist" to the inability to voice their opposition, said Gruner. "I think the prime concern is to have dissenting voices at the table."

Visiting Speakers

October 12, 2000: Eintou Pearl Springer, poet and National Librarian from Trinidad and Tobago, spoke on The Poetry of Resistance: Caribbean Culture, Politics and Gender Affairs in Poetry.

October 13, 2000: Dora Miron of the Rigoberta Menchú Foundation in Guatemala spoke on Guatemala’s Troubled Peace: Impunity, Militarization and the Search for Universal Justice.

October 17, 2000: Dennis Mairena and Nubia Ordoñez, faculty from URACCAN University in Nicaragua, spoke on Management Plans for Sustainability in the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, and Creole Culture and Identity.

January 31, 2001: Maarit Laitinen from the Department of Cultural Anthropology at the University of Helsinki, Finland, spoke on The Spiritual Baptist Religion in Tobago.

March 3, 2001: Lloyd Best, Director of the Trinidad and Tobago Institute of the West Indies spoke on Race, Class and Ethnicity in a Caribbean Interpretation. (See related article in this newsletter).

March 7, 2001: Lloyd Best addressed a select group of York undergradate students on The Challenges of Independence in the Anglophone Caribbean.

March 20, 2001: Carlos Alfonso Rosero, Augustin Reyes, and Ezequiel Vitonas Talanga, leaders of Colombian popular movements, spoke on Development and Displacement: Community Issues and Approaches from Colombia’s Rural- based Movements, in an event co-sponsored by the Centre for Refugee Studies’ Ethics and Development-Induced Displacement Project.

April 24, 2001: John Maxwell, popular columnist for a major Jamaican daily newspaper, spoke on Jamaica, the FTAA, and the Environment (see article in this newsletter).

April 25, 2001: Luis Villacis, Aracelly Moreno, Geovani Atariguana, Jeny Goyes, and Franklin Cabascango, a delegation of representatives of popular organizations in Ecuador, spoke on Ecuador: A People in Rebellion.

May 23, 2001: Amanda Romero-Medina, the representative for the Andean Region of the American Friends Service Committee (ASFC) in Bogotá, spoke on Colombia: Internal Displacement and Humanitarian Crisis. (see article on Michael Baptista lecture in this newsletter).

October 1, 2001: Jorge Salazar, former Co-ordinator of the Peace and Human Rights Section of the Popular Training Institute in Colombia, spoke on Making Sense of 'Chaos': An examination of the Colombian conflict (see article in this newsletter).

October 18, 2001: Elena Caridad Alvarez González, Associate Professor at the University of Havana, and Director of the National Institute for Economic Research (INIE), spoke on Cuba and the Global Economy.

October 31, 2001: Mayra Vilasis, Cuban film director and writer, and Adjunct Professor in Women’s Studies at the University of Havana, spoke on Women in Cuban Cinema.

Nov. 30, 2001: Nubia Castillo, Rural Community Youth representative from El Salvador, and Emilio Espín Amprimo, Rural Development NGO worker with CORDES of El Salvador, spoke on Youth Organizing and Rural Development in El Salvador.

January 15, 2002: Dr Miguel Nenevé of the Universidade Federal de Rondonia  (Amazon Region) and Dr Marilene Proença of the Universidade de Sao Paulo, spoke on Amazonian Discourses: A Look at the Brazilian Amazon.

February 6, 2002: Carlos Larrea, faculty member of FLACSO in Ecuador and visiting scholar at Harvard University, spoke on Child Malnutrition and Social Inequality in the Andean Region.

February 6, 2002: Gloria Camacho, Masters graduate of FLACSO in Ecuador, spoke on Violence against Women in Ecuador: the Current Situation and Alternatives.

February 7, 2002: Alejandro Bendaña, founder and President of the Board of the Centro de Estudios Internacionales in Nicaragua, gave a talk entitled One step forward, two backwards: The 2001 Nicaraguan Elections in Historical Perspective.

March 2, 2002: George Lamming, author, lecturer, and commentator from Barbados, spoke on Language and the Politics of Ethnicity at the Fourth Annual Jagan Lecture (see article in this newsletter).

March 28, 2002: Sérgio Baierle, of CIDADE (Center for Urban Studies) in Brazil, spoke on The Workers Party in Brazil: Breakthrough, Consolidation or Thermidor?

April 2, 2002: Victor Armony, Sociology professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and research director for the Canada Research Chair in Globalization, Citizenship, and Democracy, spoke on Civil Society's Response to Globalization in Latin America.

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Other Events
organized, sponsored, or co-organized by CERLAC
 

October 5, 2000: a panel discussion entitled ‘Mexican Elections 2000: Free and Fair at Last?’featured Nibaldo H. Galleguillos (Associate Professor of Political Science at McMaster University), Mark Juhasz(MES Candidate at York University), and Suzanne Rumsey (Central America and Mexico Program Coordinator for the Inter-Church Committee on Human Rights in Latin America [ICCHRLA]). Please see the Gazette article on this event.

From January 2001: The York University Salvadorean Earthquake Relief Fundraising Campaign was organized to help address the humanitarian disaster in El Salvador caused by a series of earthquakes that struck the country starting on January 13, 2001. Funds raised were channelled through SalvAide, a volunteer-run Canadian registered charitable organization dedicated to fostering social and economic development in El Salvador. SalvAid earmarked the funds for three of the most affected rural areas: La Libertad, Zacatecoluca, and Tecoluca.

March 12, 2001: Canadian filmmaker Alex Anderson’s documentary ‘Tales from Havana,’ chronicling the making of the award-winning film ‘Strawberry and Chocolate’ by Cuban cinematic giant Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, was screened.

May 9, 2001: a special forum with students and faculty who attended events of the Summit of the Americas in Quebec. Threats to Democracy: Quebec City & Its Aftermath was organized by Graduate Assistant Mark Dickinson, and featured CERLAC Fellows and Professors Ricardo Grinspun and Louis Lefeber (see related articles on the FTAA and the Quebec Summit in this newsletter).

November 29, 2001: A panel discussion entitled Demystifying Social Capital with participants Susan Spronk, PhD candidate in Political Science, John Cameron, PhD candidate in Political Science, and Eduardo Canel, PhD in Sociology.  Co-sponsored by RCDG.

January 23, 2002: A video screening and discussion entitled Dirty War & Displacement in Colombia with panelists Kathy Price (Researcher/Policy Advocate with KAIROS), Shiela Gruner (Canada-Colombia Solidarity Campaign), Ken Luckhardt (International Department, Canadian Auto Workers), and Scott Pearce (Peace Brigades International). Olga Sanmiguel (D.Jur. candidate, Osgoode Law School) acted as moderator.

February 8, 2002: A public workshop entitled Latin America and the Caribbean After September 11th: Poverty, Crisis, and Insecurity with Alejandro Bendaña, Director of Managua-based Centro de Estudios Internacionales (CEI), as the keynote speaker.  (See article in this newsletter).

February 4-8, 2002: Latin American and Caribbean Documentary Film Festival Screenings, hosted jointly by the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program (LACS) at Founders College and CERLAC.  The festival took place during International Development Week and was sponsored by York International and the Divisions of Humanities and Social Science.

CERLAC also hosted two end of term gatherings on April 12, 2000 and on May 8, 2001. The events brought together members of the CERLAC community and other interested parties from York University in an informal setting.
 

CERLAC also co-sponsored various on- and off-campus events, including:

· A presentation on "Youth and the Cuban Revolution" at York University by two visiting Cuban students.

· A panel discussion held at the Centre for Social Justice on "Resistance and Democracy in the Americas" with Marta Harnecker (MERPLA, Cuba), David Raby (University of Toronto), Josephine Grey (L.I.F.T.), and Renato Martins (CUT, Brazil).

· The twelth Annual All-African Students' Conference at York University ("The Role of the African Youth on the Continent and in the Diaspora in the Twenty-first Century").

· "Popular Struggles, Globalization and Genocide in Colombia - A Panel Discussion with Colombian Social Movement Leaders" at York, involving delegates of Ruta Pacifica - Peaceful Route of Women; The Autonomous AfroColombian Movement (PCN); Central Union of Colombian Workers (CUT); and Indigenous Proyecto NASA.

· Indigenous Based Autonomous Movement for Peaceful Co-existence; Organizacion Feminina Popular - Popular Feminine Movement; and Peasant Organization Communities and Territories for Peace: "Unions and NAFTA: The Canadian and Mexican Experience", presentation by former CERLAC Visiting Fellow Cirila Quintero Ramirez of El Colegio Norte, Matamoros, Mexico, at the University of Toronto.

· "Plan Colombia, International Involvement: Should Canada Participate?" - A public conversation with Daniel Garcia-Peña and Nelson Berrío on Plan Colombia, at the University of Toronto.

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RCDG Seminars
 

The RCDG (Rural and Community Development Group), an initiative of the Temuco Project, was organized at the beginning of 2001.  The primary objectives of the group are to connect people doing field research in Latin America -and other regions- related to the impact of neoliberal restructuring on rural communities; to provide a space to share experience and knowledge at both the university and extra-university level; to analyze and formulate alternative sustainable development policies; and to exchange ideas with the project's partners in Chile.  Since its inception, the group has grown to 45 members, including 13 faculty and 32 graduate students.

Twelve incredibly successful RCDG seminars have taken place since the group’s creation.  Presenters from a number of academic disciplines addressed a broad spectrum of topics, including public policy, infrastructure, fisheries, biotechnology, mining, hydrocarbons, agriculture, the flower industry, and municipal decentralization in Latin America and Africa.  Participants have examined these issues in various national contexts, including Nicaragua, Peru, Argentina, México, Honduras, Ecuador, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.  Visit the Temuco Project web page, which now features the "RCDG Working Series Papers."  See the article on the Temuco Project in this newsletter.