Ecuador's constitution of 2008 has gathered worldwide attention for its progressive outlook. The constitution adopted Buen Vivir (good living), a concept rooted in the Andean indigenous social...Show moreEcuador's constitution of 2008 has gathered worldwide attention for its progressive outlook. The constitution adopted Buen Vivir (good living), a concept rooted in the Andean indigenous social movements, as the leading principle of the state. Scholars have called Buen Vivir a potential 'alternative to development': it redefines the objective of national planning as achieving harmony between nature, society and individuals, as opposed to narrowly-defined improved material wellbeing. Nonetheless, critics claim that the term has turned into a guise for new developmentalist state practices. This thesis assesses how a radical new discourse such as Buen Vivir evolves once confronted with the structures of the state and the constraints of society and economy. Drawing on Critical Discourse Analysis, it analyses how the framing of Buen Vivir in the speeches of Ecuador's presidents has limited its transformative potential. Furthermore, it illustrates how gaps between discourse, state practices and constitutional values have rendered the emancipatory meaning of Buen Vivir ambiguous.Show less
For decades now, the earth’s climate has been tampered with as greenhouse gases have been pumped into the atmosphere without any constraints. On top of that, the world is still troubled by immense...Show moreFor decades now, the earth’s climate has been tampered with as greenhouse gases have been pumped into the atmosphere without any constraints. On top of that, the world is still troubled by immense social inequalities, putting the feasibility of realising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nation in 2015 in question. The last decade has been a period overshadowed by a variety of crises, from immigration crises to financial crises. This has raised criticism, demanding to reconsider the current development paradigm. The rational of development through economic growth cannot be maintained, particularly due to our planets’ boundaries. We have exhausted our planets limits and are steering towards its tipping point. This paper will look at the Ecuadorian case of Sumak Kawsay, a variant of Buen Vivir which, has been an increasingly popular worldview in the Andean and Amazon region of Latin America. This paper will explore Buen Vivir as an alternative development strategy and critically assess its viability to achieve a set of three distinct UN sustainable development goals. Additionally, the current global political economy will be critically discussed. Thus, this paper can be placed within the wider debate of development studies, seeking alternatives to the current development paradigm.Show less
In 2007, President Rafael Correa proposed the unique idea to refrain from oil extraction in one of the most biologically diverse areas of the world and home to indigenous groups, the ITT block of...Show moreIn 2007, President Rafael Correa proposed the unique idea to refrain from oil extraction in one of the most biologically diverse areas of the world and home to indigenous groups, the ITT block of the Yasuní National Park. It was seen to be building on the concept of Buen Vivir, following a new pathway towards a new vision of society and development. However, in 2013, it all came tumbling down when President Correa decided to terminate the historic initiative. The paradoxical position of the government, both responsible for the implementation and dependent on exploitation for its finance has often been part of the discussions surrounding the initiative. This thesis provides a critical discourse analysis of the official political speeches of Rafael Correa in order to allow for a new understanding of how the Yasuní-ITT initiative failed. This thesis aims to explore the development strategy of Rafael Correa by analysing how is Buen Vivir appropriated in the official political discourse with regards to the Yasuní-ITT initiative.Show less
The rise of awareness on environmental issues has led to a shift from traditional development towards sustainable development, which includes environmentalism. Sustainable development has been...Show moreThe rise of awareness on environmental issues has led to a shift from traditional development towards sustainable development, which includes environmentalism. Sustainable development has been highly debated among countries at several UN conferences dating back to the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in 1992. The most recent global agreement is embodied in the Paris Agreement, signed in 2015, which is a climate agreement within the framework of sustainable development. However, the main problem of global treaties is that it is hard to satisfy all parties. The Paris Agreement includes developed and developing countries, which both have different concerns and ideas on development in general. Consequently, developing countries have come up with their own local alternatives towards sustainable development for instance Buen Vivir in Ecuador. Buen Vivir, often translated as ‘Good Life’ in English, is an Ecuadorian form of eco-politics included in Ecuador’s constitution in 2008, based on the indigenous concept of Sumak Kawsay. This paper will make a comparative analysis between the global approach (the Paris Agreement) and the local approach (Buen Vivir) in order to examine which of the two alternatives form a more feasible way for Ecuador towards sustainable development. The paper concludes that even though both approaches have their flaws, the local approach is more in line with the objectives of sustainable development in the case of Ecuador.Show less
