Bolivia Essay ⋆ Business Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

A landlocked country in South America, the Republic of Bolivia (population 9,118,000 in 2007, gross domestic product [GDP] $40 billion) is named for Simon Bolivar, the revolutionary and former president of Venezuela, who was instrumental not only in Bolivia’s successful war for independence in 1825, but the wars of independence across the Spanish-American colonies. Its history since independence has been tumultuous, marked by long periods of widespread poverty. While many revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries used independence as an excuse to create democracies, in practice Bolivia remained pseudo feudal until the 20th century, and the terrible living conditions of all but the upper classes provoked the revolution of 1952, which finally resulted in universal suffrage and public education for the rural populace. That government lasted 12 years, and was succeeded by a series of military juntas.

In the 21st century, Bolivian politics are beset by crises. The government’s plan, in conjunction with the United States, to eliminate Bolivian cocaine production completely is resisted by much of the population, who have grown coca leaves for centuries, and in some cases enjoyed the profits of the cocaine trade in the last few decades. President Evo Morales has promoted legal coca leaf goods, such as teas and liqueurs, in an attempt to make peace with coca growers. Morales also renationalized Bolivia’s oil and natural gas, in 2006.

Bolivia is a democratic republic with a bicameral parliament. The 130 members of the Chamber of Deputies and 27 members of the Chamber of Senators are elected to five-year terms by their constituencies. In practice, the role of the legislature is much weaker than that of the executive branch, and principally discusses legislation introduced by the president. The president also serves a five-year term. The current president is Morales, from the Socialist party, whose term began at the start of 2006.

Despite its natural resources, Bolivia has the lowest per capita GDP in South America, in part because of its lack of a coastline: Transporting natural gas, for instance, most of which is exported to Brazil, requires the use of expensive pipelines that eat into the profits. Inflation and unemployment are high, and the situation is worsened by a long history of corruption at multiple levels of government, with few serious efforts to stamp it out.

The fossil fuels industry is almost solely responsible for Bolivia’s trade surplus. The country is energy self-sufficient, with fossil fuels accounting for some 42 percent of energy use and hydroelectric power responsible for most of the rest. Outside of fossil fuels, exports include soy, zinc, and tin; Bolivia’s main trading partners are other South American countries (especially Brazil, Argentina, and Chile), the United States, China, and Japan. Foreign investment has been encouraged by various privatization acts since the 1990s, but declines whenever there is political unrest, and Bolivia has yet to demonstrate long-term economic stability.

Bibliography:

Benjamin Dangl, The Price of Fire: Resource Wars and Social Movements in Bolivia (AK Press, 2007);
Rex A. Hudson and Dennis M. Hanratty, eds., Bolivia: A Country Study, 3rd ed. (Library of Congress, 1991);
Benjamin Kohl and Linda Farthing, Impasse in Bolivia: Neoliberal Hegemony and Popular Resistance (Zed Books, 2006);
Jeffrey D. Sachs, ed., Developing Country Debt and Economic Performance, Volume 2: Country Studies: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico (University of Chicago Press, 1990).

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