The Case of Water Privatization in Bolivia: Substantive Justice and the Right to Water as a Human Right
El Caso de la Privatización del Agua en Bolivia: Justicia Sustantiva y Derecho al Agua como Derecho Humano
Keywords:
substantive justice, water privatization, Bolivia, human right to water, democratic governanceAbstract
This article analyzes the conflict over water privatization in Cochabamba, Bolivia—known as the 2000 "Water War"—as a key case to examine the tension between substantive justice and neoliberal models of resource management. From a human rights perspective, the paper argues that access to water must be viewed not merely as an economic commodity but as a fundamental right, whose effective guarantee is essential to substantive justice. The article explores the social, economic, and political consequences of granting control of the water system to a transnational corporation, and the resulting mass mobilization that ultimately led to the reversal of privatization. The analysis reveals that the market-driven logic excluded vulnerable populations and deepened structural inequalities. It concludes by proposing a democratic water governance model based on citizen participation, environmental sustainability, and social justice, as essential components to securing the human right to water through a substantive justice lens.
Este artículo analiza el conflicto por la privatización del agua en Cochabamba, Bolivia (conocido como la "Guerra del Agua" de 2000), como caso emblemático para examinar la tensión entre justicia sustantiva y modelos neoliberales de gestión de recursos. A partir de un enfoque de derechos humanos, se argumenta que el acceso al agua debe considerarse no solo como un bien económico, sino como un derecho fundamental cuya garantía efectiva es condición para una justicia sustantiva. Se estudian las consecuencias sociales, económicas y políticas de la concesión del servicio a una empresa transnacional, así como las respuestas de la población, que dieron lugar a una movilización masiva y a la posterior reversión del proceso. El análisis evidencia que la lógica mercantilista excluyó a sectores vulnerables, profundizando desigualdades estructurales. El artículo concluye proponiendo un marco de gobernanza democrática del agua basado en la participación ciudadana, la sostenibilidad ambiental y la justicia social, como vías para asegurar el derecho humano al agua desde una perspectiva sustantiva.
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