The emergence of indigenous middle classes in highly stratified societies: the case of Bolivia

Thesis

This thesis investigates the emergence of an indigenous middle class between 1975 and 2010 in Bolivia – a country characterized by poor and unstable long-term economic growth, high inequality, and enduring ethnic and class cleavages. The study takes a two-tiered approach. It focuses first on tracing the emergence of the middle class by highlighting the main drivers of socio-economic improvement for individuals. Based on a longitudinal examination of a Socio-Economic Index (SEI) – upon whic...

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Authors: Espinoza-Revollo, P

• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Keywords: social identities; stratification; middle class; indigenous groups; social mobility; inequality; Bolivia
• Subjects: Middle class; Group identity; Lifestyles; emergence of middle classes, inequality, social mobility, indigenous peoples, labour market transformation, lifestyles, social identities