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The purpose of this paper is to present the strategies being adopted by the Government of the State of Bolivia to develop sustainable tourism both as a means of protecting the Bolivian Amazon and a mechanism for the realization of the “Living Well” vision of the national government.

The paper provides a synopsis of the principal trends in Bolivia within the last decade and then discusses the main tourism destinations of the Bolivian Amazon. The paper then outlines the strategies being adopted to develop a Bolivian brand of sustainable tourism and closes with the presentation of a vision of the Bolivia tourism of the future.

The findings confirm that in the case of Bolivia, tourism is an activity imbued with a high political ideal, and not merely a force that is at the mercy and direction of market forces and private entities. Tourism development is organically linked with concepts of community self‐actualization.

As an explication of the current tourism policy of the Government of Bolivia and a discussion of the strategies currently in operation to develop sustainable tourism and enshrine the “Living Well” principle, the paper has obvious relevance at all levels of the tourism implementation pyramid in Bolivia, as well as for planners in the Amazon region as a whole.

The Bolivia tourism strategy clearly has some unique characteristics in the context of the Amazon. This paper, therefore, brings to light an alternative national perspective with respect to tourism development in the Amazon region.

This paper examines the perceptions of Bolivians engaged in the country's apparel industry regarding barriers and challenges to participation in the global textile and apparel complex. Small Bolivian apparel producers perceive the apparel industry as a source of employment and an opportunity to improve the well being of their families. Government/small business relationships, economic and political uncertainty of trade partners, inadequate infrastructure, a depressed domestic market, and global trade policies were identified by participants as barriers to further development of the apparel industry. Apparel producers require support from both public and private sectors to foster entrepreneurship, promote Bolivian apparel products and join regional production networks to revitalize the apparel industry in Bolivia.

This paper aims to analyze Brazil’s governmental positions during two international conflicts involving major Brazilian firms and two South American countries: the nationalization of Petrobras in Bolivia in 2006 and the expulsion of Odebrecht from Ecuador in 2008. Brazil’s government officials showed themselves to be not only open to negotiations but also understanding and cooperative with Bolivia. The same policymakers, however, showed no trace of this accommodating behavior toward Ecuador. This paper focuses on the explanatory power of the ideas of the ruling Workers’ Party and sustains that this party has played a crucial role on shaping the current government–business relations in Brazil.

This research applies process tracing analysis within two case studies; and content analysis to operationalize the concept “Workers’ Party’s ideas” using 14 Workers’ Party’s official documents. It investigates the circumstances under which political ideas guide policymaking.

This work found a correlation between Workers’ Party’s ideas and Brazil’s governmental positions which first benefited Bolivian demands. On the other hand, these ideas found no representation during negotiations with Ecuador. To explain this variation, this study tested the link between uncertainty and influence of ideas. Uncertainty was both an “activating condition”, allowing ideas to come into play in policymaking, and a “magnifying condition” showing the dynamic relationship between the level of uncertainty and the level of influence of ideas.

This study contributes to the evolving debate on business and government relations in Brazil by focusing on the role of ideas and interests on policymaking.