COMPARATIVE GOVERNANCE IN THE LITHIUM TRIANGLE: IDENTIFYING PATHWAYS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND RESOURCE CURSE AVOIDANCE

This thesis takes a comparative approach to assess resource management strategies in the three Lithium Triangle countries: Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile through the lens of weak sustainability and resource curse avoidance. Three success cases are identified in the literature which form the substructure of this comparison. The success cases of Norway, Indonesia, and Chile were selected based on economic development similarities to the Lithium Triangle and extraction of energy-based natural resources. Thematic patterns derived from these cases are used to assess the strategies of the Lithium Triangle focus cases. Chile, serving as both a success case and a focus case, offers a clear point of comparison to Argentina and Bolivia due to shared historical context. The analysis finds that Chile demonstrates the strongest alignment with weak sustainability and resource curse avoidance management strategies. Chile's experience with the copper industry set the foundations for success such as creating strong institutions, investing resource rents, and establishing Sovereign Wealth Funds. In contrast, Argentina and Bolivia are lacking in adopting similar strategies. As global demand for lithium continues to rise, the long-term development trajectories of these nations will be shaped by the policy decisions adopted now.