Salmon.Gender.Chiloe. Reflections on Sustainable Development.

Abstract: This study discusses sustainable development with the help of a case study of the Chilean province Chiloé between 1960 and 2009 – main scene of the salmon industry that developed very rapidly in recent decades. Today, Chiloé faces the now common dilemma of ecological devastations and increasing income disparity, widely perceived as inevitable side-effects of development leading to local employment opportunities and national economic growth. Integrating gender into institutional analysis in the context of sustainable development, the study looks at implications of gender for the distribution of assets before and after the establishment of the salmon industry, the formation of social coalitions, the monitoring and control of legal institutions in Chiloé. The study aims to provide a more detailed picture of the territorial dynamics of Chiloé for potential policy recommendations towards a kind of historical development that would support social inclusion, ecological sustainability, and a stable economy.