This research was possible with the collection of official information from public offices, key informants and revision of articles/news that appeared in the press. This research threw the following assessment of the studied State enterprises:

– LACK of transparency there is no information on the EPNEs (state owned enterprises): Do not know their financial statements, there are no audits being conducted regularly, no one knows what were the procedures for the recruitment of their staff.

– There is not an ordered database on the investment, hiring of employees nor monitoring on the implementation of the budget.

– From a total of 13 companies analyzed, 10 reporting of investment that vary according to their implementation phase; on these 10 companies, at least Bs 489,139, 885.00 was invested, according to available information.

– No mechanisms of “social control” were established, as recognized in the Constitution in any of the organizational charts of the 13 companies that have been established.

– Employment generation is summarized around projections of “possible” “direct” and “indirect” jobs; based on the available information from nine companies, it is known that 1,069 employees were hired.

– The companies do not have evaluation mechanisms of meritocratic valuation nor qualifying methods prior to the hiring of new staff members.

– Other companies like EBO [an acronym in allusion to current president], that will buy gold, received sudden investment and began to work immediately, without been contemplated in the Government’s plan.

– The industrialization of the coca crop, in the Chapare, has received funds and land for its operation, but has only produced so far a type soft drink called “Coca Kolla” [an attempt to refer to the Coca Cola product and incorporating the name Kolla, which is given to highlanders and valley people, it was the name of one part of the Inca’s empire, who are not from Aymara origin].

This is the link for the Spanish document: Current state of State companies. EL ESTADO DE LAS EMPRESAS DEL ESTADO

I believe Fundacion Milenio and Ivan Arias did a wonderful job at pinpointing the relative and precarious reality of state-owned companies under this government. Bolivia was blessed from loan condonations and incredibly high prices on the raw natural resources we export. Unfortunately, the economic policies that this government pushes are not working. What a waste of the best time in history to have a better and sustainable economic growth… just look at our neighbors. What a shame and a waste.

I certainly feel sorry for my grandchildren, whenever they will come, they will have to work really hard to recuperate this years that economically and socially represented a fall back of at least 50 years. As for my daughters, it is already to late for their generation to overcome all this loss. To late…