Economic Incentives and Social Conflict. Dissimilar Trajectories of Fracking in the Argentine Provinces (Neuquén and Entre Ríos, 2010-2017)

Abstract

The fracking method produced strong rejections in the Argentine provinces as a result of environmental risks and their possible socioeconomic impacts. Thus, social resistances emerged and sought to limit the progress of the exploitation of hydrocarbons under fracking technique. However, the results of their efforts have been uneven. The present article asks what determines that in certain provinces the social resistance achieves its objective of preventing fracking while not in others. Based on an analysis of Entre Ríos and Neuquén cases, the main argument sustains that the sub-national advance or restrictions to the exploitation of extractive activities is determined by the ways in which the political and economic features of each province shape different levels of “economic incentives” and each provincial government’s “concern for social conflict”.