Market Economy and Good Living

Abstract

There is currently an economic metamorphosis underway that involves myriad (mis)development processes. At the same time, processes of inequality are emerging, imbued with their own historical context. This study evaluated the eco-social program known as Good Living (Buen Vivir, Sumak Kawsay) in Ecuador as a tool for change for the most vulnerable sectors that are intrinsically connected to their culture and customs. The study also examined the parallel processes of inequality and the excessive protection of private interests that favor a new world order driven by the maximization of profit. With this objective, the current state of the processes associated with Good Living in the Ecuadorian province of Orellana was analyzed through interviews with relevant local representatives of institutional life. The results highlight the abandonment of the processes of the solidarity and social economy and the resurgence, both by action and omission, of an extractivist model far removed from the principles of compassion, inclusion, and social participation.