The social and environmental implications of the transnationalization of Central American business

The rise of transnational companies from the South is an emergent phenomenon that is gaining increasing attention form shcolars within the academic fields of economy and political economy. In Latin America the rise of the so called "multilatinas" has been in focus for some years, but most attention has been paid to companies from Brazil and Mexico, and to a less extent Chile, Argentina and Colombia. However, currently we also see the rise of multinational companies from smaller, weaker economies such as t hose of Central America. The project that will be prepared in the project establishment phase for which support is sought aims to study the rise of Central American multilatinas and their implications for the environment and inequality. More specificall y it has three main components: (i) first, it will map the extent, reach and strategies of the Central American multilatinas, (ii) second, it will investigate the role of the Central American multilatinas in regional environmental politics and practices, and (iii) third, it will investigate the impact of the rise of CA multilatinas on the concentration of wealth and on the Central American states' ability to tax and perform vital social roles. The project establishment phase will consist of initial data gathering, the arrangement of one workshop in Costa Rica to plan the project, and a subsequent period writing the proposal.