Crafting Development in Bolivia

In Bolivia, as elsewhere, institutions promoting economic development in both rural and urban areas frequently target artisan products, implementing programmes to 'promote' and 'develop' these products for national and international markets. This paper gives examples of three such programmes from highland Bolivia: the ASUR textile project in Sucre, Bolivia; the PROMMI microenterprise development project in six Bolivian cities; and the El-Alto-based Seiior de Mayo Artisans' Association. These cases highlight typical patterns and issues involved in targeting artisan production as an economic development tool. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.