Miners, Peasants and Entrepreneurs: Regional Development in the Central Highlands of Peru

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Overview

This volume traces the development of the central highlands, one of Peru's major mining regions. It draws on extensive fieldwork carried out in Peru between 1970 and 1982, spanning a reforming military government, reaction and a return to civilian politics under Belaunde. Through historical material combined with field studies of villages and of the major town of the region, Huancayo, the book examines the economic and cultural processes underlying the 'progressive' reputation of the region in Peru and in the literature on development. Since the major enterprise of the region, the Cerro de Pasco Mining Corporation, was, until the 1970s, foreign owned, a persisting theme is the type of economic growth associated with and the distortions produced by, foreign capitalist economic enclaves on predominantly peasant economies. The political consequences are examined, showing the weakness of regional interest groups and the failure of contemporary regional development policies.