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A descriptive study of the Escuela Cenpritec school was carried out between September 15, 1969 and November 15, 1969 in La Paz, Bolivia. All pertinent literature was reviewed and interviews were conducted with school and government personnel. A fine physical plant has been constructed that is well lighted and equipped. It is adequately protected by a perimeter wall and by the services of a night watchman. Classes were being conducted in the four areas of electricity, plumbing, masonry and carpentry. Few of the objectives set forth in the organizational documents were met. Classes in the construction trades were offered but subsequent employment of the graduate in his specialty was very low. Coordination of on-the-job training, or, for that matter, any other kind of construction training in the city by Cenpritec did not exist. Only one class in training for the rural worker was held and efforts to encourage his return to the rural areas were unsuccessful because job opportunities were better in the city. Training for the student was at the very basic level and no classes for specialists were ever held. Basic literacy courses did not materialize even though widespread illiteracy among the study body hindered efforts to teach the building trades. No classes in management and supervision training were held. Difficulties which surround the school were myriad. The initial feasibility study apparently was not accurate and was based upon subjective evaluation rather than statistical data. Many promises of support, financial aid and help were never fulfilled. The Board of Directors often failed to discharge its duty in the direction and administration of Cenpritec. The Peace Corps advisors failed to ensure total operation of the school in accordance with its legal documents. A breakdown in communications between USAID/Bolivia and the Peace Corps/Bolivia led to confusion regarding responsibility for the school, conditions necessary for continued financial aid, and extent of authority of the volunteer instructors. Inability or unwillingness of the Government of Bolivia to accept readily its financial responsibility for the school suggests that future funding may reach crisis proportions. A policy for the continued evaluation and observation of Cenpritec does not exist and the rapid exchange of American personnel in Bolivia has led to the responsibility for its operation being placed primarily in the hands of the Peace Corps volunteer instructors. Future successful operation of Cenpritec will depend upon a careful reassessment of its role with respect to the construction industry, a reactivation of the Board of Directors, a pledge of support from the Bolivian Government and a commitment by American officials for continued, long term supervision.

Este trabajo analiza los motivos político-militares que dieron origen a la ciudad de La Paz, hoy capital política de Bolivia, y las acciones de quienes protagonizaron tales hechos, entre los años 1540-1550. Reflexiona y aporta conclusiones sobre tres eventos relacionados: la firma protocolar de la fundación y nombramiento del primer cabildo en Laja, tambo y asentamiento altiplánico del antiguo territorio del collao; la ubicación temporal de la ciudad dentro de una cañada y a las márgenes de un río; y el trazo definitivo en una ladera semiplana de pronunciado declive, y la posible distribución de los solares para sus fundadores españoles, que respondió a ideales religiosos cristianos europeos anclados en el siglo XII. ; This work analyzes the military-political reasons that they gave origin to the city of La Paz, today political capital of Bolivia, and the actions of those who they carried out such facts, between years 1540-1550. It reflects and contributes conclusions on three related events: the signature of the foundation and appointment of the first town hall in Laja, a row of houses on a high flat land of the old territory of collao; the temporary location of the city inside a gorge and to the margins of a river; and the definitive outline in a semi flat slope of pronouncing declivity, and the possible distribution of the lots for its Spanish founders, who responded to european christian religious ideals anchored in century Xll.

Esta investigación analiza cómo se problematiza el consumo excesivo de alcohol en el debate público de La Paz (Bolivia) a partir de la vuelta democrática en los ochenta hasta la discusión de la ley nacional que regula el expendio y consumo de bebidas alcohólicas (2012). La perspectiva teórica que guio el trabajo se construyó a partir de una articulación entre la perspectiva teórica de los problemas públicos de Joseph Gusfield y la sociología cultural de Jeffrey Alexander. Uno de los hallazgos que arrojó nuestro análisis es el cambio en la estructura de propietarios y de la estructura cognitiva del problema del alcohol desde una centralidad de un código de salud pública en los ochenta al código de seguridad ciudadana con la llegada del nuevo siglo. Además, en este proceso se identificó cómo discursos de esferas no civiles de la vida social (familia, religión, economía) dieron espacio a esfuerzos de crítica social con un discurso civil de actores e instituciones interesados en esta problemática. ; This research analyses how excessive alcohol consumption is problematized in the public debate in La Paz (Bolivia) from the democratic return in the 1980s until the discussion of the national law regulating the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages (2012). The theoretical perspective that guided the work was built from an articulation between the theoretical perspective of public problems of Joseph Gusfield and the cultural sociology of Jeffrey Alexander. One of the findings of our analysis is the change in the ownership and cognitive structure of the alcohol problem from the centrality of a public health code in the 1980s to the public safety code with the arrival of the new century. Furthermore, in this process we identified how discourses from non-civil spheres of social life (family, religion, economy) gave space to efforts of social criticism with a civil discourse of actors and institutions interested in this problem.

This paper studies the effects of aerial cable cars on mode of transport, time use, and employment in the metropolitan area of La Paz, Bolivia. Using an instrumental variables approach, we estimate local average treatment effects of cable car use for residents who use the system due to proximity to a cable car station. Results suggest that cable car users substitute private transport in favor of public transit and experience large savings in commute time, which is reallocated toward educational activities. Users also increase self-employment activities, potentially reflecting improved access to local labor markets. The positive effects of the cable car are driven by residents of El Alto, a city with a high concentration of poor and indigenous households on the high plateau bordering La Paz. The economic benefits of the cable car outweigh the costs by a ratio of 1.05 to 2.16.

JEL Classification Codes: L92; O18; R41

En el presente artículo nos proponemos abordar la experiencia de la Federación Obrera Femenina (FOF) de La Paz, Bolivia, entre 1927 y 1946. Analizaremos la forma en que las "cholas" comerciantes y cocineras, definidas y "oprimidas" por la clase, la etnia y el género, articularon su lucha en esos tres frentes con el marco político e ideológico provisto por el anarquismo. ; In this article we aim to address the experience of the Federación Obrera Femenina (FOF) of La Paz, Bolivia, between 1927 and 1946. We will analyze how the "cholas" merchants and cooks, defined and "oppressed" by the class, ethnicity and gender, articulated their struggle in these three fronts with the political and ideological framework provided by the anarchism.