So why doesn't someone in the community learn to make doors? In this way Santa Rosa is like a microcosm of Bolivia - or of almost any resource-rich developing country: extracting and exporting raw materials and importing those same materials back after they have been turned into high-value goods. What if Santa Rosa could make their own doors? What if Bolivia could take all of that lithium they have been blessed with and make batteries for the electric cars that may someday take over the world's roads? Abundant natural resources should translate into wealth, but without the ability to add value to those resources by turning trees into doors or crude oil into gasoline, those who hold resources only get small portion of those resources' value. How much of the $4.00 you spend on your latte goes to the coffee growers?
Ok, so Santa Rosa probably couldn't get rich making doors, but it just got me thinking about the obstacles to adding value to natural resources. Why can't someone learn to make doors? Has nobody thought of it? Why hasn't anyone thought of it? Is it an education system that doesn't teach creative problem-solving? Is it a lack of access to the technology or information one might need to make doors, or lack of access to credit to make an investment in a power saw? On a larger level, what is missing to give those people who now make up the first link of the chain from resource to finished product the ability to get a little more of that final value?
8 comments:
Abbie,,,
You have asked some good questions, and I'm certain you will get plenty of answers.
Among them, please consider 300 years of forced servitude/slavery followed by 200 years of corporate exploitation by the descendants of the Spanish conquerors. Think of a segment of society intentionally uneducated and without rights or means to affordable capital. Think of elections so stacked against you that until recently it made no difference how one voted. Think of the incredible resources stolen from Bolivia that supported Spain for 200 years and others for hundreds of years in addition. Think of the decades-long brain-drain of educated Bolivians who leave for employment and opportunity elsewhere.
A book from my early years "I've Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me" seems to fit pretty well, although the Bolivians I have known are anything but down. Resigned to being handed the shitty end of the stick--yes! But they are not by any means down, and Evo is a big reason why.
Most Bolivians realize what he is up against--the entrenched elite, the usually extractive corporations they operate, and the USA which through many means will interfere with any government leaning toward socialism and rejecting exploitative free trade.
That's it for starters--I'm certain others will suggest more. I'm envious that you have discovered Bolivia at such a young age, and seem to have developed an acceptance of--if not appreciation for--much of what is 'Bolivian', like it or not.
As for me, I love Bolivia and her amazingly wonderful and generous, hard working and resourceful people more each time I go there, and hope to emigrate there soon, to experience what might be the most democratically-run governments on the planet.
Locojhon - good points. Who are you?
Abbie,,,
Who am I??
I see myself as a more or less constantly evolving, ashamed-of-my-country-gringo, in my early 60's, husband, father of two great adult 'children', lover, VN-era Navy veteran, businessman/entrepreneur, supposedly well-educated, ex-Catholic (now honoring Pachamama), presently in search of an overwhelming transcendental non-partisan peaceful US revolution, who has been extremely fortunate in this life, and is eager to apply a career's knowledge in water supplies to work in Bolivia on behalf of a people I have come to love and respect who so gently educated me about my own country, who admires the empowering parenting you were subjected to that put you in Bolivia today.
That about covers the important stuff (keeping in mind that it is from my perspective).
Why did you ask?
You should get a Ph.D.
Pete
Locojhon -
I was just surprised anyone I didn't know was reading my blog. I'm new to this whole blogging thing, I pretty much thought my parents and a few friends were reading it. It's cool that others are reading it too.
You are right - there is so much history behind the questions I was asking, that it should not be surprising - but the real question I guess I was getting at is what anyone can do about it... I guess that's part of why I'm here studying instead of just throwing projects around - trying to understand better before just imposing projects that won't work...
Pete,
That's the plan. Currently I'm struggling to understand integrals of anything with a natural log, so I think I have a long way to go... sigh....
" who admires the empowering parenting you were subjected to that put you in Bolivia today." Locojhon.
One is very lucky who has cool parents.
Hey, who said it was my parents who sent me to Bolivia?
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