Access, Power and Market Space in Bolivia Understanding: Market Participation and Structural Barriers for Small-Scale Producers

Sammanfattning

This thesis examines the market access barriers faced by small-scale producers in Bolivia, with a focus on Chiquitania, Los Valles Cruceños, and Zongo. Drawing on 15 semi-structured interviews with producers, vendors, university staff, and institutional actors, it analyses how structural, institutional, and relational barriers shape not only producers’ ability to reach markets, but also their ability to benefit from participation in them.The study finds that poor infrastructure, high transport and input costs, information gaps, weak governance, contraband, and the gatekeeping power of unions, guilds, and intermediaries constrain market access. At the same time, producers are not passive actors; they actively seek to overcome these barriers through collective organisation, engagement with public programmes, partnerships with local authorities, and value-adding strategies.Using the Market Access Framework, Access Theory, and Institutionalism, the thesis argues that market access should be understood as a relational and institutionally mediated process rather than a purely technical or physical one. It concludes that meaningful inclusion, meaning the ability to benefit from access, requires more than improved connectivity or market linkages; it also depends on transparent governance, stronger regulation, and institutional structures.