Megaprojects in Central America

Embedded in Southern voices and epistemologies, this book explores how local communities in Central America understand development and the good life in the context of large-scale infrastructure projects.

The analysis focuses on six case studies: the Reventazón hydropower plant and the Guanacaste tourism projects in Costa Rica, the Barro Blanco hydropower plant in Panama, the Bahía de Tela tourism area in Honduras, and the La India and La Libertad gold mines in Nicaragua. The book draws on extensive in-depth interviews, participatory workshops and surveys to demonstrate how different social groups interpret the impacts of megaprojects. It critically examines the tensions between externally-driven investment initiatives — and the values they promote — and locally-rooted worldviews, wellbeing and ways of life. The volume concludes with a practical workshop proposal to help communities strengthen their resilience and formulate alternative development pathways based on their own cultural and social frameworks.

This book will be of particular interest to scholars in the fields of development and Latin American studies, as well as policy makers and practitioners working in the region.

Author Biography

Katarzyna Dembicz is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Iberian and Ibero-American Studies at the University of Warsaw. Her research focuses on social and economic change, regional development, and demographics in Latin America, particularly in Cuba and Central America. She is a member of the EU’s “Foro Europa–Cuba” network. She is the former Secretary General of REDIAL and is currently Editor-in-Chief of Ameryka Łacińska, a Polish quarterly scientific journal about Latin America. She also serves on the CEISAL (Council for Social Science Research on Latin America in Europe).

Ewelina Biczyńska is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies at the University of Warsaw, Poland. Her academic interests focus on spatial justice, social and urban change, and social issues—particularly in the context of Latin America. She has participated in several research projects on development and transformation in Latin American cities and regions, as well as studies on homelessness.