Grassroots-Based Rural Development Strategies: Ecuador in Comparative Perspective

摘要: Abstract International donors are providing increasing amounts of assistance to grassroots-based economic initiatives in Latin America and elsewhere. The question is: can such prosper generate widespread improvements living standards the context prevailing neoliberal policy agenda? paper responds this question, from comparative American East Asian perspectives, by analyzing how diversification improved were achieved two rural parishes highland Ecuador. We find that, both cases, access landownership other assets was a critical factor permitting small-scale producers participate market exchange manner that allowed them improve their standards. Hence, extent policies freeze into place highly inequitable overall structure asset income distribution Ecuador elsewhere, inhibit replication successful cases.