Law, Scarcity and Social Movements: Water Governance in Chile's Maipo River Basin

The research examines water governance in the Maipo River basin, focusing on the intersection of neoliberal water policy, climatic variability, and social discontent. It specifically analyzes the law of river sectioning, the Alto Maipo hydropower conflict, and the contested meaning of water scarcity amidst ongoing drought and climate change to advocate for social and environmental justice in Chilean water policy.

• Water governance in the Maipo River basin is currently pressured by the combination of increasing water demands, climatic variability, and public dissatisfaction with neoliberal water policies, particularly as Santiago's population exceeds 5 million and the region faces a seventh year of drought.
• The author identifies the law of river sectioning as a key influence on water use and management practices within the Maipo River basin.
• Social movement actors involved in the Alto Maipo hydropower conflict in the upper basin are playing a significant role in attempting to redirect water governance.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2025). Law, Scarcity and Social Movements: Water Governance in Chile's Maipo River Basin. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/law-scarcity-and-social-movements-water-governance-in-chiles-maipo-river-basin-masters-thesis/

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Law, Scarcity and Social Movements: Water Governance in Chile's Maipo River Basin. 2025. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/law-scarcity-and-social-movements-water-governance-in-chiles-maipo-river-basin-masters-thesis/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Law, Scarcity and Social Movements: Water Governance in Chile's Maipo River Basin |date=14 January 2025 |url=https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/law-scarcity-and-social-movements-water-governance-in-chiles-maipo-river-basin-masters-thesis/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2025law, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Law, Scarcity and Social Movements: Water Governance in Chile's Maipo River Basin}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/law-scarcity-and-social-movements-water-governance-in-chiles-maipo-river-basin-masters-thesis/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }