The energetic question in South America: a preliminar study about the bolivian gas in the perspective of infrastructure, state regulation and territory

Abstract

This work objectifies to argue the energetic question in South America having the gas as reference and Bolivia as case. The period analyzed is the recent neoliberal governments (1985-2005). In the current geopolitics of the energetic resources grows the importance of natural gas because there is a great increase in its consumption. South America presents important reserves of natural gas and this fact increases its strategic importance. The Bolivian case shows an intensive process of privatization in the production and in the management of this resource, with remarkable participation of transnational companies. However, since the last years of 1990´s is increasing the number of poor and indigent in the country which is the second poorer of the Latin America. There is an apparent paradox: Bolivia has a great potential wealth and it has an growing population impoverishment´s, exactly when the hydrocarbons production enlarges.