The politics of implementation: Social movements and mining policy implementation in Guatemala

Abstract

This study examines the way Guatemalan antimining movements engaged with the state bureaucracy during the policy implementation process. It contributes to the literature on social movement impacts on megaproject development by identifying the direct and indirect mechanisms that movement leaders used to interact with state institutions and change the way policy was put into effect. Two mechanisms employed by resisters are found to be influential. The first involves the use of strategic litigation to challenge the legality of mine licenses and secure the suspension of operations through court rulings. The second involves direct engagement with the state mining bureaucracy as resisters pursue participation in community consultations as part of the revised mine licensing process. This study shows how movements can press for impact even in the late stage of policymaking as they add participatory mechanisms and stoke institutional development. While significant, such outcomes require an enabling context that may be difficult to sustain. Unless policymakers incorporate inclusive participatory practices and transparency requirements into the rule-making and enforcement work of state bureaucracies, public influence is likely to be limited.