Social movements and economic development in Choco, Colombia

Abstract

This paper aims to study the relationship between the requests of social movements in Choco, Colombia, and socioeconomic conditions in the region. The research strategy included a historical review of the protest requests and an analysis of the evolution of the leading economic, social, and local public finance indicators in the department. Results indicated that protest requests indeed coincide with the conditions of lagging in the region. Moreover, it was found a significant increase in transfers from national Government to the department and its municipalities in the last years, but a low efficiency in the management of available resources.