IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/vrs/quageo/v40y2021i2p35-61n10.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Analysing (In)Justice in the Interplay of Urbanisation and Transport: The Case of Agrarian Extractivism in the Region of Urabá in Colombia

Author

Listed:
  • Toro López Maritza

    (Planning and Development Research Unit, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering Science, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium)

  • Van den Broeck Pieter

    (Planning and Development Research Unit, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering Science, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium)

Abstract

Infrastructural design, transport and mobility policies are strong instruments for interpreting historical urban and regional transformation processes. The paper addresses the intercausalities between both of them. To do so, it briefly sketches debates on the causalities of transport infrastructure and urbanisation and the theory of technological politics, drawing attention to the relationship between transport infrastructure and politics, and how infrastructures and their techno-political frames include means of power and authority. From there, the paper moves to the debate on the relationship between social justice and transport, showing how transport systems embody social processes and social (in)injustice. The history of agrarian extractivism in the region of Urabá in Colombia serves as a case study. The paper shows how existing transport networks of the region of Urabá have supported the expansion of agrarian extractivist industries and more specifically the production of transport (in)justice. It explores the development of the infrastructural network, transport systems and urbanisation of this region from the early 1900s onwards. Results show how the actual agrarian extractivist industries of the region are causing huge challenges related to the overlapping of transport scales, congestion and risks of accidents in urban areas, and how actual transport dynamics in the region are affecting urban development, generating a high segregation characterised by uneven distributions of public services and transport infrastructures. The paper reveals that the existing transport developments in the region of Urabá have no support for local development and are mainly thought for the efficiency of agrarian extractivist industries over local economic development. Agrarian extractivism has been a consistent factor in the economic, political and social spheres, and since colonial times the appropriation of natural resources and the dispossession of territories has been omnipresent. This paper explores the historical role of transport in agrarian extractivism, the long-term impact of the prolongation of old mechanisms, and the interrelations of the latter with current urbanisation and development. It concludes that infrastructural developments in this region have supported agrarian extractivist industries, first in colonial times, but also more recently, showing the deep embeddedness of the relation between mobility and urbanity in the (agrarian extractivist) development history of this region.

Suggested Citation

  • Toro López Maritza & Van den Broeck Pieter, 2021. "Analysing (In)Justice in the Interplay of Urbanisation and Transport: The Case of Agrarian Extractivism in the Region of Urabá in Colombia," Quaestiones Geographicae, Sciendo, vol. 40(2), pages 35-61, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:vrs:quageo:v:40:y:2021:i:2:p:35-61:n:10
    DOI: 10.2478/quageo-2021-0011
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.2478/quageo-2021-0011
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.2478/quageo-2021-0011?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Adolph Wagner, 1958. "Three Extracts on Public Finance," International Economic Association Series, in: Richard A. Musgrave & Alan T. Peacock (ed.), Classics in the Theory of Public Finance, pages 1-15, Palgrave Macmillan.
    2. Cain, Louis P., 1997. "Historical perspective on infrastructure and US economic development," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 117-138, April.
    3. Hans-Jürgen Burchardt & Kristina Dietz, 2014. "(Neo-)extractivism – a new challenge for development theory from Latin America," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(3), pages 468-486, March.
    4. Barro, Robert J, 1990. "Government Spending in a Simple Model of Endogenous Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(5), pages 103-126, October.
    5. Antoine Picon, 2018. "Urban Infrastructure, Imagination and Politics: from the Networked Metropolis to the Smart City," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(2), pages 263-275, March.
    6. McKay, Ben M., 2017. "Agrarian Extractivism in Bolivia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 199-211.
    7. Martín Arboleda, 2016. "Spaces of Extraction, Metropolitan Explosions: Planetary Urbanization and the Commodity Boom in Latin America," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(1), pages 96-112, January.
    8. Maparu, Tuhin Subhra & Mazumder, Tarak Nath, 2017. "Transport infrastructure, economic development and urbanization in India (1990–2011): Is there any causal relationship?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 319-336.
    9. Akitoby, Bernardin & Clements, Benedict & Gupta, Sanjeev & Inchauste, Gabriela, 2006. "Public spending, voracity, and Wagner's law in developing countries," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 908-924, December.
    10. David Harvey, 2003. "The right to the city," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(4), pages 939-941, December.
    11. Michael Bleaney & Norman Gemmell & Richard Kneller, 2001. "Testing the endogenous growth model: public expenditure, taxation, and growth over the long run," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 34(1), pages 36-57, February.
    12. Church, A. & Frost, M. & Sullivan, K., 2000. "Transport and social exclusion in London," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 7(3), pages 195-205, July.
    13. Leck, Eran & Bekhor, Shlomo & Gat, Daniel, 2008. "Equity Impacts of Transportation Improvements On Core and Peripheral Cities," The Journal of Transport and Land Use, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, vol. 1(2), pages 153-182.
    14. Cervero, Robert & Landis, John, 1997. "Twenty years of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system: Land use and development impacts," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 309-333, July.
    15. Paul M. Romer, 1994. "The Origins of Endogenous Growth," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 8(1), pages 3-22, Winter.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Maparu, Tuhin Subhra & Mazumder, Tarak Nath, 2017. "Transport infrastructure, economic development and urbanization in India (1990–2011): Is there any causal relationship?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 319-336.
    2. Islam, Muhammed N., 2015. "Economic growth, repression, and state expenditure in non-democratic regimes," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 68-85.
    3. Wu, Shih-Ying & Tang, Jenn-Hong & Lin, Eric S., 2010. "The impact of government expenditure on economic growth: How sensitive to the level of development?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 804-817, November.
    4. Eman Elish & Hossam Eldien Ahmed & Mostafa E. AboElsoud, 2023. "Military spending crowding out health and education spending: which views are valid in Egypt?," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-9, December.
    5. Omoshoro-Jones, Oyeyinka Sunday, 2016. "A Cointegration and Causality Test on Government Expenditure –Economic Growth Nexus: Empirical Evidence from a South African Province," MPRA Paper 102085, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 17 Oct 2017.
    6. Jozef GNAP & Pavol VARJAN & Pavol ĎURANA & Mariusz KOSTRZEWSKI, 2019. "Research On Relationship Between Freight Transport And Transport Infrastructure In Selected European Countries," Transport Problems, Silesian University of Technology, Faculty of Transport, vol. 14(3), pages 63-74, September.
    7. Korhan Gokmenoglu, 2013. "Re-Examination Of Wagner’S Law For Oecd Countries," Annals - Economy Series, Constantin Brancusi University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 1, pages 28-37, February.
    8. Jagannath Mallick, 2019. "The effects of government investment shocks on private investment: Empirical evidence from the developing economy," Indian Economic Review, Springer, vol. 54(2), pages 291-316, December.
    9. Batool, Irem & Goldmann, Kathrin, 2021. "The role of public and private transport infrastructure capital in economic growth. Evidence from Pakistan," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    10. Georgy Idrisov & Sergey Sinelnikov-Murylev, 2013. "Budget Policy and Economic Growth," Working Papers 0076, Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy, revised 2013.
    11. Jing Xing, 2011. "Does tax structure affect economic growth? Empirical evidence from OECD countries," Working Papers 1120, Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation.
    12. Alfò, Marco & Carbonari, Lorenzo & Trovato, Giovanni, 2023. "On the effects of taxation on growth: an empirical assessment," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 27(5), pages 1289-1318, July.
    13. Sabrina Auci & Laura Castellucci & Manuela Coromaldi, 2021. "How does public spending affect technical efficiency? Some evidence from 15 European countries," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(1), pages 108-130, January.
    14. Alessandra Cepparulo & Gilles Mourre, 2020. "How and How Much? The Growth-Friendliness of Public Spending through the Lens," European Economy - Discussion Papers 132, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
    15. Chiara DEL BO, 2009. "Recent advances in public investment, fiscal policy and growth," Departmental Working Papers 2009-25, Department of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods at Università degli Studi di Milano.
    16. repec:ebl:ecbull:v:2:y:2002:i:1:p:1-15 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. repec:ebl:ecbull:v:8:y:2007:i:4:p:1-7 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Christian Ebeke & Helene Ehrhart, 2012. "Tax Revenue Instability in Sub-Saharan Africa: Consequences and Remedies," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 21(1), pages 1-27, January.
    19. Nazila Alinaghi & W. Robert Reed, 2021. "Taxes and Economic Growth in OECD Countries: A Meta-analysis," Public Finance Review, , vol. 49(1), pages 3-40, January.
    20. Gunasinghe, Chandika & Selvanathan, E.A. & Naranpanawa, Athula & Forster, John, 2020. "The impact of fiscal shocks on real GDP and income inequality: What do Australian data say?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 250-270.
    21. John Creedy & Norman Gemmell, 2005. "Publicly financed education in an endogenous growth model," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 32(2), pages 114-131, April.
    22. Joseph Pasky Ngameni & Ludovic Feulefack Kemmanang & Sylvain Bertelet Ngassam, 2022. "Growth Gap between China and Africa: Do Digital Technologies Matter?," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 13(1), pages 24-43, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:vrs:quageo:v:40:y:2021:i:2:p:35-61:n:10. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Peter Golla (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.sciendo.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.