Pobreza subjetiva: influencia del Proyecto Hidroeléctrico Mazar-Dudas en la percepción de la pobreza en la parroquia Rivera-Azogues-Cañar

Abstract

Studies on poverty emphasize its complexity, relationality and multidimensionality. Its concept and measurement have been widely discussed, defining it from an ethical and moral problem to being considered in the perspective of human rights. In recent decades it has become evident that its integral analysis implies incorporating intrinsic values expressed by its social and cultural traditions and customs, overcoming economic rationality as the sole determinant of it (Guevara and Gómez, 2011). Thus, the study of poverty from a subjective approach, that is, from the perception of people about their condition contributes to a better understanding of this problem. From this context, the objective of this research is to analyze subjective poverty in the Rivera parish of the Azogues canton of Cañar, the geographic place where the Mazar-Dudas Hydroelectric Project is located, with the purpose of knowing if the implementation of this project affected the perception of poverty. The conceptual framework is the developed theory regarding subjective poverty and the role played by hydroelectric projects for the reduction of poverty and the importance of its study. The methodology implemented is quantitative, for the collection of information the survey was used as a tool. The information analysis was carried out through the application of descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The evidence found highlights that subjective poverty is greater after the implementation of the hydroelectric project. In addition, it has been clarified that the economic factor is not exclusively the only determinant of subjective poverty, but that, in its perception, multiple cultural and social determinants converge.