Trans-Boundary Infrastructure and Changes in Rural Livelihood Diversity in the Southwestern Amazon: Resilience and Inequality

Stephen G. Perz, Flavia L. Leite, Lauren N. Griffin, Jeffrey Hoelle, Martha Rosero, Lucas Araujo Carvalho, Jorge Castillo and Daniel Rojas
Additional contact information
Stephen G. Perz: Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law, 3219 Turlington Hall, University of Florida, P.O. Box 117330, Gainesville, FL 32611-7330, USA
Flavia L. Leite: Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law, 3219 Turlington Hall, University of Florida, P.O. Box 117330, Gainesville, FL 32611-7330, USA
Lauren N. Griffin: Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law, 3219 Turlington Hall, University of Florida, P.O. Box 117330, Gainesville, FL 32611-7330, USA
Jeffrey Hoelle: Department of Anthropology, University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
Martha Rosero: Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law, 3219 Turlington Hall, University of Florida, P.O. Box 117330, Gainesville, FL 32611-7330, USA
Lucas Araujo Carvalho: Departamento de Economia, Universidade Federal do Acre, Rio Branco, Acre 69920-900, Brasil
Jorge Castillo: Facultad de Ecoturismo, Universidad Nacional Amazónica de Madre de Dios, Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, Peru
Daniel Rojas: Area de Ciencias Biológicas y Naturales, Universidad Amazónica de Pando, Cobija, Pando, Bolivia

Sustainability, 2015, vol. 7, issue 9, 1-30

Abstract: Infrastructure has long been a priority in development policy, but there is debate over infrastructure impacts. Whereas economic studies show reductions in poverty, social research has documented growing income inequality. We suggest that a focus on livelihoods permits a bridge between the two literatures by highlighting decisions by households that may capture economic benefits but also yield social inequalities. We therefore take up two questions. First is whether new infrastructure allows households to diversify their livelihoods, where diversity begets resilience and thus affords livelihood sustainability. Second is whether households with more diverse livelihoods exhibit greater increases in livelihood diversity, which would widen livelihood inequalities. We take up the case of the Inter-Oceanic Highway, a trans-boundary infrastructure project in the southwestern Amazon. Findings from a rural household survey for the first question show a strong effect of accessibility on increasing livelihood diversity in areas receiving infrastructure upgrades, an indication that infrastructure fosters household resilience. However, results regarding the second question indicate that households with more diversified livelihoods also exhibit larger increments in diversity, which implies growing livelihood inequality. There remains a need to account for inequalities in livelihood diversity, since less diversified households benefit less from new infrastructure and remain more exposed to risks to their livelihoods.

Keywords: infrastructure; livelihood; resilience; sustainability; Amazon; Bolivia; Brazil; Peru (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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