The project combines:

 

1. Social research in Latin American and together with international universities

 

 

 

 

2. Partnerships with local and transnational NGOs

 

 

3. The development of pathways for socio-ecological transformations

The project departs from two premises:
gradient
Wealth accumulation
The accumulation of capital is historically related to producing and appropriating space, infrastructures, land and natural resources. Consequently, space and society are mutually co-produced, and the contemporary phase of rentier capitalism produces and is produced by spaces that primarily serve the extraction of rents.
gradient 1
Production of Space
Specific powerful actors, denominated as "economic groups" in Latin America, have the capability to control and shape the production of space for wealth accumulation through networks of often legally independent companies that maintain long-term formal and informal ties, while carrying out coordinated actions.

By introducing spatial dimensions into wealth research, Wealth & Space tackles important knowledge gaps of how contemporary capitalism unfolds in and across space. It provides novel understanding on how producing and controlling space is co-constitutive for the genesis and reproduction of wealth.

How do Latin American economic groups organise specific circuits of extraction

including urban spaces and reproduce uneven development and dependency?

In this vein, our research objectives are:

1. To study the economic logics and underlying spatial processes creating the conditions of wealth accumulation

2. To investigate the agency of key actors in the production of space and wealth, and in the contestation of these processes

3. To provide transparency and accountability on the processes of wealth (re)production in Latin America

The project explores three case studies:

Brasil Thiago Japyassu
Brazil

Chile Urtimund
Chile

México Ricardo Esquivel
Mexico

Matopiba, Brazil

The Agribusiness-Urbanization Nexus - Matopiba in Brazil

Matopiba is experiencing a sharp increase in agro-industrial activities, and is becoming the main component of wealth production in the region. In this case, the research project studies how food production chains are structured between meat processing companies, soybean supply and landowners, as well as their main spatial strategies at local, regional and international scales.

Antofagasta y Santiago de Chile

The mining-urbanization nexus

While some of Chile's main copper mines are located in the mountains of the Antofagasta region, produced wealth circulates and is deployed in the city of Antofagasta and, especially, in the country's capital, Santiago de Chile. In this case, the research project studies the complex production chain linked to mining, which is related to the construction of ports, desalination plants, transportation, and urban and regional planning, which on a national scale is connected to the financial, real estate and telecommunications sectors.

Yucatan, Mexico

The nexus between tourism and urbanization

The Yucatan Peninsula has become a paradigm of its insertion into world markets through multiple investments by local, national and international investors, especially in the tourism sector. In this case, the research project studies how tourism financing and investments are linked to the creation of new urban spaces that require different service and transportation infrastructures.