Abstract

CHRISTEL, Lucas Gabriel. Social Resistances and Mining Legislations in Argentine Provinces: The Cases of Mendoza, Córdoba, Catamarca and San Juan (2003-2009). Polít. gob [online]. 2020, vol.27, n.1, ePyG1170.  Epub June 30, 2020. ISSN 1665-2037.

Over the past two decades, open pit mining in Argentina has experienced a significant growth. As a response to this advance, social resistances to the activity emerged and, since 2003, nine provinces passed laws banning open pit mining. However, resistances have not always succeeded in achieving these restriction laws. So, why in certain provinces social resistances are able to influence on mining legislation while they fail to do so in others? Based on a comparative subnational study of four provinces, this paper argue that processes of influence take place within the framework of a specific Subnational Structure of Opportunity (SSO), determined by the degree of plurality in the political systems and the level of development and diversification of their economic matrix. In such sense, this article shows how the characteristics of EOS favored social resistances influence on mining legislation in Mendoza and Córdoba cases, as well as how EOS constrained the possibility of legislative incidence in Catamarca and San Juan experiences.

Keywords : social resistances; subnational politics; political influence; mining; Argentina.