Yes to Coca: Framing Illicit Economies in Coca-Dominated Regions of the Andes

• In Event: Emerging Scholars Lightning Round: Graduate Student Research: Contemporary Issues in (Non)Democratic Governance

Abstract

This paper examines the intricate nexus between state framing, community dynamics, and governance within illicit economies by evaluating the results of criminalizing coca farming in three coca-dominated regions across Bolivia and Peru, states with contrasting policies towards coca’s role in society. President Evo Morales (2006-2019), recognizing coca as a critical mechanism of economic empowerment and a symbol of indigenous culture, implemented a top-down reform of Bolivia’s coca policy that permitted significant cultivation and domestic sales. Meanwhile, Peru maintained a security-first mindset regarding coca, bringing it into conflict with local governments and communities. The paper compares the coca-dominated regions in both countries since the start of Morales’ term to illustrate how governments’ criminal framing of informal economic activity impacts the state’s relationship with the populations engaged in the informal sector. The central claim of this research asserts that the policy of criminalization significantly undermines state-community relations within regions dependent on the production of illicit goods.
I conduct a two-case comparative analysis, examining coca-dominated areas to measure the influence of state narratives on three pivotal dimensions that reflect community reception: 1) regional and local government policies and narratives, 2) constituent attitudes, and 3) socio-economic development indicators encompassing crime rates, economic output, and state provisions. This research contends that illicit economic activity can empower a local order and social stability and serve as an efficient buoy for marginalized populations, especially indigenous groups.
In contrast to Peru, Bolivia's case demonstrates that illicit economies can operate in harmony with their local environments through community enforcement of social norms. Examining the limitations of state power and the influence of state framing over such embedded economies is critical to understanding how states and communities can align their interests and develop effective policies that enhance the relationship between the government and its citizens while maintaining local legitimacy.

Author

• Charlotte Fitzgibbons Mines, McGill University