Chapter 8 Review
Hypotheses from Ecuador
In summary, this book has shown the complex relationships between transnational funders, SMAs, the state, and development style. In the Origins era, transnational funders helped a small, emerging environmental movement establish itself during the time of a weak state crippled with debt. During the Neoliberal Boom, even more transnational funding helped smaller Ecuadorian NGOs (ecodependents) establish a major presence. However, their need for foreign funding limited the scope of their projects. Ecoresistors also emerged during this time. Their focus was on the environmental and social pillars of sustainability, and they organized small-scale local movements to solve problems detrimental to Ecuador’s citizens, especially the indigenous population. A small number of ecoentrepreneurial groups were also formed during this time. In the Neoliberal Bust era, the vast network of ecodependent organizations began to collapse as transnational funding shrank. Ecoresistors, on the other hand, grew in strength and power, and their actions fighting resource extraction and providing education for locals helped keep Ecuador on track towards managed scarcity. Now, in the era of Citizens’ Revolution, Ecuador is experiencing political stability with the election and re-elections of President Correa, and the Ecuadorian state has become much more powerful than in previous years. Many citizens have been lifted out of poverty, but at the cost of increasing natural resource extraction. On paper, the state’s plan resembles ecological synthesis, but in practice they seem to be valuing economy over social justice and environment.
Understanding the relationship between foreign funding and environmental movements is extremely important if we are to do our best to help both the environment and other countries such as Ecuador. I believe the most important hypotheses presented in the book are “funded and unfunded environmental organizations will diverge on goals and tactics”, and “strong states will limit transnational funders’ influence”. Ideally, transnational funders should help their ecodependent partners advance their agenda, and not vice-versa. We know that strong governments will limit transnational funders’ influence because they often only seek to push their own agenda, and that ecodependents and ecoresistors “diverge on goals and tactics” strictly because ecodependents must meet the requirements of their sponsors. I would argue that if Ecuador’s ecodependent organizations were not forced to meet these requirements, their goals (and potentially tactics as well) would start to resemble those of ecoresistors. By better understanding the relationship between foreign funding and environmental movements, ecoimperialist organization leaders will hopefully see that their influence is restricted because they seek to push their own agenda instead of helping accomplish the goals of the countries they are trying to assist. In the future, we need to avoid situations similar to the departure of USAID, who’s forced shutdown was partially due to “the agency’s mandate [which] includes advancing US foreign policy” (Otis, 2014).
Although some arguments and points are repeated, and occasionally the subject matter is dry (i.e. the in-depth explanation of debt-for-nature swaps), Ecuador’s Environmental Revolutions does a fantastic job explaining the complex relationships at play in Ecuador’s environmental movement and path towards sustainable development. I have no major complaints; Tammy L. Lewis covers just about every aspect of Ecuador’s environmental movement from its beginning through the present. The only thing I would suggest adding is a longer explanation/more examples of ecoentrepreneurs, but as they are left out on the cover of the book, Lewis clearly doesn’t believe them to be as important to the movement as the other three kinds of environmental organizations. Moving forward, I’m eager to apply the knowledge I’ve gained from reading the book to our other preparational studies, and eventually on the trip to Ecuador itself.
References
Otis, J. (2014, October 01). After More Than 50 Years, USAID Is Leaving Ecuador. Retrieved September 26, 2017, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/after-more-50-years-usaid-leaving-ecuador-n215621
In summary, this book has shown the complex relationships between transnational funders, SMAs, the state, and development style. In the Origins era, transnational funders helped a small, emerging environmental movement establish itself during the time of a weak state crippled with debt. During the Neoliberal Boom, even more transnational funding helped smaller Ecuadorian NGOs (ecodependents) establish a major presence. However, their need for foreign funding limited the scope of their projects. Ecoresistors also emerged during this time. Their focus was on the environmental and social pillars of sustainability, and they organized small-scale local movements to solve problems detrimental to Ecuador’s citizens, especially the indigenous population. A small number of ecoentrepreneurial groups were also formed during this time. In the Neoliberal Bust era, the vast network of ecodependent organizations began to collapse as transnational funding shrank. Ecoresistors, on the other hand, grew in strength and power, and their actions fighting resource extraction and providing education for locals helped keep Ecuador on track towards managed scarcity. Now, in the era of Citizens’ Revolution, Ecuador is experiencing political stability with the election and re-elections of President Correa, and the Ecuadorian state has become much more powerful than in previous years. Many citizens have been lifted out of poverty, but at the cost of increasing natural resource extraction. On paper, the state’s plan resembles ecological synthesis, but in practice they seem to be valuing economy over social justice and environment.
Understanding the relationship between foreign funding and environmental movements is extremely important if we are to do our best to help both the environment and other countries such as Ecuador. I believe the most important hypotheses presented in the book are “funded and unfunded environmental organizations will diverge on goals and tactics”, and “strong states will limit transnational funders’ influence”. Ideally, transnational funders should help their ecodependent partners advance their agenda, and not vice-versa. We know that strong governments will limit transnational funders’ influence because they often only seek to push their own agenda, and that ecodependents and ecoresistors “diverge on goals and tactics” strictly because ecodependents must meet the requirements of their sponsors. I would argue that if Ecuador’s ecodependent organizations were not forced to meet these requirements, their goals (and potentially tactics as well) would start to resemble those of ecoresistors. By better understanding the relationship between foreign funding and environmental movements, ecoimperialist organization leaders will hopefully see that their influence is restricted because they seek to push their own agenda instead of helping accomplish the goals of the countries they are trying to assist. In the future, we need to avoid situations similar to the departure of USAID, who’s forced shutdown was partially due to “the agency’s mandate [which] includes advancing US foreign policy” (Otis, 2014).
Although some arguments and points are repeated, and occasionally the subject matter is dry (i.e. the in-depth explanation of debt-for-nature swaps), Ecuador’s Environmental Revolutions does a fantastic job explaining the complex relationships at play in Ecuador’s environmental movement and path towards sustainable development. I have no major complaints; Tammy L. Lewis covers just about every aspect of Ecuador’s environmental movement from its beginning through the present. The only thing I would suggest adding is a longer explanation/more examples of ecoentrepreneurs, but as they are left out on the cover of the book, Lewis clearly doesn’t believe them to be as important to the movement as the other three kinds of environmental organizations. Moving forward, I’m eager to apply the knowledge I’ve gained from reading the book to our other preparational studies, and eventually on the trip to Ecuador itself.
References
Otis, J. (2014, October 01). After More Than 50 Years, USAID Is Leaving Ecuador. Retrieved September 26, 2017, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/after-more-50-years-usaid-leaving-ecuador-n215621