The decade of contentious politics: the rise of social movements around water in post-transitional Chile

Abstract

This chapter explores the rise of social mobilization and other non-institutional forms of political participation in Chile. The central idea of the chapter is that as there is an emptying of political parties and other forms of representation, since the beginning of 2000 there has been a greater involvement of some social groups in collective action processes outside and against traditional channels. The text focuses on the study of water-related conflicts arisen in a context of political (at a local level) and administrative decentralization. This rise is related to the politicization of the deficits in the Chilean socioeconomic model and social organizations’ capacity to dispute the hegemony of party organizations in the elaboration of public policies.