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{
    "pk": 64619,
    "title": "Asymmetry of the Lithium Triangle: A Comparative Study of Lithium Governance in Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile",
    "subtitle": null,
    "abstract": "<p>Lithium is a critical mineral for the clean energy transition, most known for its use in lithium-ion batteries, which are deployed in electric vehicles. Consequently, global demand for lithium is booming, expected to triple by 2030. The Lithium Triangle, composed of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, is assuming an essential role in satisfying this demand since it is home to half of the world’s lithium reserves. However, of the three countries, only Chile has successfully transformed most of its reserves into commercially viable resources, making it the second highest lithium producer in the world. Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile have adopted starkly different approaches to governing their lithium industries. Part I will outline Bolivia’s statist approach, their constitution enshrining the state’s ownership of the mineral and its control over its entire productive chain. Part II will outline Argentina’s decentralized, investor-friendly approach under which the provinces own the mineral and liberally grant mining rights to investors who benefit from a myriad of special tax benefits. Part III will outline Chile’s centralized, mixed public-private approach in which the state retains ownership of the mineral while meticulously negotiating and closely supervising the conditions of mining rights extended to two private actors. Part IV will compare the three countries’ approaches and theorize that, in a region characterized by weakened state capacity, Chile’s governance style has empowered it to significantly outpace Bolivia and Argentina in lithium production. Lastly, Part V will address the vulnerabilities of generalizing about the success of the Chilean model, accounting for confounding variables such as the role of indigenous communities, Chile’s favorable geographic conditions, and Chile’s relatively stronger state capacity.</p>",
    "language": "eng",
    "license": {
        "name": "All rights reserved",
        "short_name": "Copyright",
        "text": "© the author(s). All rights reserved.",
        "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/authors"
    },
    "keywords": [],
    "section": "Comments",
    "is_remote": true,
    "remote_url": "https://escholarship.org/uc/item/48x2x7mg",
    "frozenauthors": [
        {
            "first_name": "Julia",
            "middle_name": "A.",
            "last_name": "Benbenek",
            "name_suffix": "",
            "institution": "",
            "department": ""
        }
    ],
    "date_submitted": null,
    "date_accepted": null,
    "date_published": "2026-04-20T23:47:00-07:00",
    "render_galley": null,
    "galleys": [
        {
            "label": "PDF",
            "type": "pdf",
            "path": "https://journalpub.escholarship.org/jilfa/article/64619/galley/49441/download/"
        }
    ]
}