In Pursuit of Vivir Bien: Negotiating Economic and Ecological Governance in the Indigenous Autonomy of Charagua Iyambae, Bolivia

Sammanfattning

In academic and political discourse, Vivir Bien has emerged as an Indigenous vision of wellbeing in harmony with community and nature. This thesis examines how ecological and economic priorities are negotiated in the pursuit of Vivir Bien within the Indigenous Autonomy of Charagua Iyambae, Bolivia. Focusing on the Guaraní cosmovision of Yaiko Kavi Päve (‘to live well’), the study explores how local understandings of Living Well are practiced by communities and reflected in the government’s approach to environmental conservation and economic development. Drawing on Ecological Economics and Vivir Bien as theoretical frameworks, the research combines 20 semi-structured interviews with a narrative literature review. The findings show that strong relationships with nature and community are central to Guaraní understandings of Vivir Bien. At the same time, the concept holds diverse and sometimes contradictory meanings, which challenges its suitability as a uniform political framework. Further, the study finds that Charagua’s government seeks to implement Yaiko Kavi Päve by connecting environmental conservation and economic development, although these efforts are complicated by external extractive interests. More broadly, the thesis argues that local efforts for Living Well require fundamental structural changes in the global economic system in order to support social wellbeing within ecological limits.