This book investigates Central America's political economy seen through the lens of its powerful business groups. It provides unique insight into their strategies when confronted with a globalized economy, their impact on development of the isthmus, and how they shape the political and economic institutions governing local varieties of capitalism.

Since colonial times the position of the social, political and economic elites in Latin America has been intimately connected to their control over natural resources. Consequently, struggles to protect the environment from over-exploitation and contamination have been related to marginalized groups struggles against" "local, national and transnational elites. The recent rise of progressive, left-leaning governments often supported by groups struggling for environmental justice has challenged the established elites and raised expectations about new regimes for natural resource management.

Based on case-studies in eight Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, El Salvador and Guatemala), this book investigates the extent to which there have been elite shifts, how new governments have related to old elites, and how that has impacted on environmental governance and the management of natural resources. It examines the rise of new cadres of technocrats and the old economic and political elites struggle to remain influential. The book also discusses the challenges faced in trying to overcome structural inequalities to ensure a more sustainable and equitable governance of natural resources.

This timely book will be of great interest to researchers and masters students in development studies, environmental management and governance, geography, political science and Latin American area studies."

Since colonial times the position of the social, political and economic elites in Latin America has been intimately connected to their control over natural resources. Consequently, struggles to protect the environment from over-exploitation and contamination have been related to marginalized groups' struggles against local, national and transnational elites. The recent rise of progressive, left-leaning governments - often supported by groups struggling for environmental justice - has challenged the established elites and raised expectations about new regimes for natural resource management. Based on case-studies in eight Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, El Salvador and Guatemala), this book investigates the extent to which there have been elite shifts, how new governments have related to old elites, and how that has impacted on environmental governance and the management of natural resources. It examines the rise of new cadres of technocrats and the old economic and political elites' struggle to remain influential. The book also discusses the challenges faced in trying to overcome structural inequalities to ensure a more sustainable and equitable governance of natural resources. This timely book will be of great interest to researchers and masters students in development studies, environmental management and governance, geography, political science and Latin American area studies.

Development Issues in Global Governance presents the first serious academic study of multilateral organizations' current partnerships with the private sector. This new volume describes empirically, and analyzes theoretically, the impact of such partnerships on the practices, legitimacy and authority of the parties involved. With detailed case studies of key international bodies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Bank, and the UN's Education, Science and Communication Organization (UNESCO), the reader is given a clear understanding of present debates in this critical area of world affairs. This invaluable book: includes fresh case studies that deal with five different industries: pharmaceuticals, software, water supply, tobacco and chocolate provides an overview of the scope of the phenomenon of partnerships in the multilateral system, and classification of different types is based on detailed qualitative research, including extensive interviews in the multilateral organizations places the findings in a rigorous theoretical framework, relating them to current trends in international politics and international political economy examines the challenges contained in the Millennium Development Goals: the provision of drugs to HIV/AIDS patients and vaccination for all children; the bridging of the digital divide; combating child labour; and the provision of clean water to the poor. The authors conclude that we are witnessing the emergence of a new institutional form, best characterized as 'market multilateralism'. They argue that although transnational corporations have become heavily involved with multilateral organizations, these partnerships are crafted to deal with specific instances of market failure, while the guiding principles of the global economy remain unchallenged. This book will be of great interest to all students of development studies, international relations, political science and business management.

A new examination of corporate involvement in international development, a key issue for the global community in the twenty-first century. Benedicte Bull and Desmond McNeill look at how and why United Nations organizations and the World Bank are increasingly working with private actors, including not-for-profit companies and corporations and business organizations and private foundations to address key world issues such as health, education, labour rights and water. Critics have claimed that increased corporate involvement threatens the legtimacy of multilateral organizations and this book assesses this claim, while providing a comprehensive cross-sector study of public-private partnerships (PPP) and detailed case studies on: the pharmaceutical industry, exploring health initatives such as the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization and the Global Fund to fights AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria the International Labour Organization and the fight against child labour. UNESCO and the partnerships with Intel and Microsoft to develop educational material and community centres for increasing computer literacy in the developing world World Bank and PPP efforts to improve water supplies in developing countries, critical for sustainable development, environmental integrity and the alleviation of poverty and hunger. With new theoretical frameworks and fresh case-studies, this is an important contribution to our understanding of the changing role of private authority in international affairs. This book will be of great interest to students and researchers of IPE, international relations and development.

This book investigates Central America's political economy seen through the lens of its powerful business groups. It provides unique insight into their strategies when confronted with a globalized economy, their impact on development of the isthmus, and how they shape the political and economic institutions governing local varieties of capitalism.