ABSTRACT
Mexico lacks normative laws and regulations for the compensation and reparation of damages and the social impacts of resettlement. In general, negotiations between citizens and institutions are trapped in an asymmetrical and authoritarian power structure that generates ample juridical authority for the expropriation of land from property owners who lack legal representation and assistance. This chapter uses case study findings to illuminate how these asymmetries play out on the ground. Over recent decades, the World Bank has attempted to change Mexican indigenous and involuntary resettlement policies through its lending practices. Drawing on experience on both the World Bank and government sides on well-known hydroelectric and transportation sector projects, this chapter discusses the potential strengths and weaknesses of the new approach to shift responsibility for compliance with international safeguard standards from the international banks to national governments and the private sector – particularly in the context of indigenous peoples and involuntary resettlement as affected by government policies.
