Rural territorial development research
One of the characteristic features of inequality and poverty in Latin America is that it is intra-country and sharply so. Yet different 'territories' (defined as areas or regions which do not correspond to formal administrative units, but often sprawl over them) have seen poverty reduction and social inclusion rates differ considerably over recent years. The IPPG is part of a group of institutions working in Latin America, first, to map and classify these regions, or territories; and, second, to explain why rural territorial development (RTD) in some territories within the same country remains locked on paths of underdevelopment while in other areas it does not.
It is hypothesised that the 'institutional architecture' in these territories largely explains why some have been able to achieve local economic growth and social inclusion while others have not. More crucially, the institutional forms – both formal and informal – that prevail are a function of political and economic processes, some deeply anchored in historical relations, some more contemporary. Economic, because economic institutions and processes constitute the rules that affect access, inclusion and efficiency in the economy; and political because relations of local power and authority between different leaders, elites and coalitions (and their upward links with national distributions) determine what the rules are and how they impact on poverty. The IPPG-led project covers Ecuador and Perú, with the wider project also covering Bolivia, Colombia, Chile and Nicaragua, but there is huge scope across the network of institutions for more intensive and comparative work where the following questions will be systematically pursued:
The IPPG has published two discussion papers on this subject: 'The role of institutions in rural territories that have undergone land reform' by Manuel Chiriboga Vega (2007); and 'Towards a territorial approach for rural development' by Alexander Schejtman & Julio Berdegué (2008). For full details of the cluster see: Objectives, Work Plan and Communications Strategy, April 2008 – December 2009.
Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar, Quito, Ecuador
9 September 2009
This seminar presented the latest results from IPPG's Rural Territorial Dynamics research cluster in Ecuador and Peru, with some results of an initial phase in Bolivia. The research examines the institutional underpinnings of inclusive growth processes in rural territories. Two case studies, Tungurahua in Ecuador and Cuatro caminos in Peru, illustrated growth findings and where poverty and/or inequality were reduced.
The seminar was opened by Ecuador's minister of agriculture. Dr. Ramon Espinel, who said: "From the point of view of agricultural policy, this study sets a standard for how local development can have a direct impact on the way in which the situation of a place with high levels of poverty can be improved. This means that programmes developed in regions at a micro level can have an impact on the macro."
A field trip to Tungurahua revealed some remarkable institutional reforms. Historian and anthropologist Pablo Ospina gives one example: "The extensive participation of the women in commerce increased their economic autonomy and their capacity to decide inside of the home how money would be spent... This ought to be put to the test in a second phase of the study, through life stories, in-depth interviews which investigate how this system works and how domestic decisions are made, and through specific focal groups for women."
IPPG delegates also met the minister for economic policy co-ordination Natalie Cely, her deputy minister, Mauricio Pena, and their team.
Read Steve Wiggins' report
Read media coverage [Spanish]: La Hora, El Heraldo
Read media coverage [English]: La Hora, El Heraldo
Last modified: 17 November 2009
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IPPG Programme Office, IDPM, School of Environment & Development, University of Manchester,
