Environment and political power in El Salvador: state of the art and empirical application

Abstract

This report analyzes the environmental dimension of the political regime in El Salvador, addressing both its state of the art and an outline of empirical application. It starts from the premise that democracy is not limited to electoral systems and political parties, but also manifests itself in equitable access to natural resources, environmental protection and recognition of the rights of historically marginalized groups. From an empirical perspective, the case of the native peoples of El Salvador is examined, with emphasis on their territorial rights and cultural identity. It analyzes how these factors are articulated with the political regime, determining to what extent they favor or restrict the development of democratic processes in the country. To this end, a state of the art on the existing literature on the relationship between democracy and the environment has been carried out, from a macro approach, and with a particular approach focused on indigenous peoples, with the aim of addressing the environmental dimension of the political regime. Nevertheless, a limitation in the scope of the study is recognized, since the inclusion of other population groups could have enriched the analysis. This possibility is noted for future research. Subsequently, relevant findings were identified within the environmental dimension, to then present concrete cases in which democratic processes in El Salvador have been facilitated or hindered.