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Copyright of Revista de Historia Económica / Journal of Iberian & Latin American Economic History is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Free trade agreements (FTAs) can affect food environments and non-communicable disease risks through altering the availability of highly-processed foods. Few studies have quantified such effects. Using a natural experiment this paper quantifies changes in Peru's soft-drink market before/after entry into the US-Peru FTA, compared with Bolivia, a county with no such agreement.Methods: Difference-in-difference models were used to test for between country differences in the rate of per capita foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, soft-drink imports, the volumes of various soft-drinks sold, and the volumes of sugar from soft-drinks before/after FTA ratification (2006) and enforcement (2009).Results: In Peru average per capita FDI-inflows rose from US$103.11 in the pre-ratification period to US$269.79 post-ratification, with little change in Bolivia. This corresponded with a 122 % increase in Peruvian soft-drink production. There was a significant between-country difference in FDI-inflows pre-/post-ratification (DID:1.07, 95 % CI:0.19-1.96; p = 0.01). Despite little difference in total per capita soft-drink sales volumes there was a significant between-country difference in per capita sugar from soft-drinks pre-/post enforcement (DID:-0.99, 95 % CI: -1.91-0.06; p = 0.03) with stagnated growth in Peru and continued growth in Bolivia. This resulted from stagnated sugar sweetened carbonates growth and increased bottled water, juice and sports & energy drinks growth in Peru, with continued carbonates growth in Bolivia. There was a significant between-country difference in per capita carbonates (DID: -1.44, 95 % CI: -2.52-0.36, p = 0.01) and bottled water (DID:0.63; 95 % CI: -0.01-1.26; p = 0.04) sales volumes.Conclusions: The FTA may have resulted in increased FDI-inflows and soft-drink production and also contributed to the diversification of soft drinks produced and sold in Peru with some positive (stagnated carbonates and increased bottled water) and some negative (increased juice and sports & energy drinks) implications for nutrition. These changes were not evident in Bolivia. These results should be interpreted cautiously given the study design limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutrition transitions are characterized by shifts in diet and activity levels that lead to changes in weight and body fatness over a relatively short time. Research has linked these nutritional shifts to socio-economic factors, including wealth and income. However, few studies have examined household spending patterns on market foods among subsistence populations, which may reveal food access, choice, and indicate household nutritional environment. This paper examines the relation between household monetary expenditures on "market" foods and measures of body composition among Tsimane', a forager-horticulturalist indigenous group in the Bolivian Amazon. Economic and anthropometric surveys were conducted for adults (n = 1199) 16 years or older in 563 households in 40 Tsimane' villages in 2008. Results indicate that overweight status (19% of men and 24% of women) is more common than obesity (1% of men and 4% of women). Sixty-one percent (61%) of households reported purchasing market foods during the previous week. Multiple linear and logistic regressions suggest that men living in households in the top third of monetary expenditures on market foods had significantly higher BMI (0.69 kg/m(2); p = 0.027), weight (1.80 kg; p = 0.048), percent body fat (1.06%; p = 0.025), and probability of being overweight/obese (Odds ratio = 1.83; p = 0.042) than men in households that reported not spending money on market foods in the previous week. We discuss the possibility that the division of labor may help explain the differences between men and women in this sample. This research suggests household expenditures on market foods may mediate the relation between wealth and body composition., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The paper presents results from two economic analyses of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Bolivia. Both recommended a programme to eradicate the disease, but one reported a negative economic return while the later study found a positive and robust return. To investigate the reasons for these differences the paper presents information on cattle movement and how this relates to the epidemiological situation of FMD in Bolivia. This analysis identifies two important trade routes: southern and central cattle trade routes and two FMD endemic areas: the humid tropical areas of the Departments of the Beni and Santa Cruz, and the semi-arid subtropical area to the south east of the country known as the Bolivian Chaco. The farm-level incentives to control FMD in the endemic areas, where cattle are kept in extensive systems, are negative and the main losses caused by the disease occur four to six years after an outbreak. Given this situation it is suggested that resources being used to eradicate the disease in Bolivia should be concentrated in these endemic areas where convincing cattle owners of the need to control FMD is particularly difficult. It is also suggested that the eradication programme should coordinate its activities with neighbouring countries., (© World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), 2008)

This paper compiles records of coca exported by the major producing sites, Peru, Bolivia, Java and Formosa, from the late 19th century through the first third of the 20th century. During most of this era coca was legally produced and responsive to market demands. World coca exports did not peak [corrected] until around 1920, followed by a steady decline over the next decade. This export pattern (if not the exact figures) suggests a period of rising cocaine consumption, peaking regionally first in North America, then in Europe and other parts of the world, followed [corrected] by a marked decrease in the drug's popularity and acceptance.

The pending merger between the Andean Pact and Mercosur will advance South American free trade. Each member country will have to adjust to free trade and the various sectors of each economy will adjust differently. This article uses a specific factor model of production to predict output changes and income redistribution in Bolivia with South American free trade. Adjustments in outputs and factor prices in the model are substantial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT. This geography of women's work in the less-developed world is set in Tarija, Bolivia, a small city that has been dramatically changed by economic crisis and structural-adjustment programs. Explored is the spatial component of women's economic activities in a low-income barrio following the imposition of structural-adjustment programs in the 1980s and 1990s. Women who pursue employment away from home must rely on other women. In particular, households that include more than one woman who is capable of handling important daily chores are more likely to have a woman engaged in income-generating activities away from the home and the neighborhood. Women at home make it possible for other women to extend their economic activity into the broader community. These findings are important because they draw attention to women's reliance on other women, how women use space, and how they are constrained by spatial factors as they negotiate their daily lives. Keywords: Bolivia, employment, structural adjustment, women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]