Illegal drugs, economy and society in the Andes / Francisco E. Thoumi.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Thoumi, Francisco E.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Drug traffic--Colombia.

Drug control--Colombia.

Drug control.

Drug traffic.

Colombia.

Drug traffic--Peru.

Peru.

Drug control--Peru.

Drug traffic--Bolivia.

Bolivia.

Drug control--Bolivia.

Physical Description:

xviii, 416 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : Woodrow Wilson Center Press ; Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, [2003]

Summary:

Some countries develop illegal drug industries, and others do not. Discerning the distinguishing characteristics -- social, economic, and political -- of countries with these industries forms the subject of this sophisticated and humane study. The author, Francisco E. Thoumi, though trained as an economist, rejects simplistic economic solutions as well as simplistic moral ones as he addresses the Andean countries of Peru, Colombia, and Bolivia and the attitudes and responses of the United States. He investigates how the United States and the Andean countries perceive drug issues; the history, structure, and evolution of drug industries in the Andes; the size of the industries in Peru, Colombia, and Bolivia; and their economic, political, and social effects in each country. Thoumi also addresses the political systems and social characteristics of these countries and why they have been so vulnerable to influence from these industries. In addition, he offers case studies of a variety of anti-drug efforts including crop substitution and alternative development, eradication, interdiction of illicit traffic and manufacturing facilities, and extradition to the United States of traffickers.

Contents:

Part I. The Illegal Drug Industry's History and Structure

2 Psychoactive Drug Perceptions and Attitudes in the United States and the Andean Countries 15

3 The Socioeconomic Dimensions of Illegal Drug Production 48

4 The Development and Structure of the Illegal Drug Industry in the Andes 79

Part II. The Effects of the Andean Illegal Drug Industry

5 The Size of the Illegal Drug Industry 141

6 Economic, Environmental, Social, and Political Effects of the Illegal Drug Industry 159

7 The Illegal Drug Industry's Effects in Colombia 181

8 The Illegal Drug Industry's Effects in Bolivia and Peru 232

Part III. Country Vulnerability to Illegal Drugs

9 Illegal Drugs, Violence, and Social Differences 265

Part IV. Antidrug Policies

10 The Nature of the Drug Policy Problem 301

11 Policy Case Studies of Alternative Development in Bolivia and International Cooperation in Colombia 315

12 A Short Survey of Antidrug Policies in the Andes and Policy Conclusions 352.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 373-397) and index.

ISBN:

0801878497

0801878543

OCLC:

52373660