Production of scale in regional hydropolitics: An analysis of La Plata River Basin and the Guarani Aquifer System in South America

This article analyses the production of scale in the La Plata River Basin and Guarani Aquifer System within regional hydropolitics in South America. We argue that different political and ecological scales acquire prominence according to the national political goals at stake, reproducing multi-scalar politics within and beyond South America. To support this argument, this article presents a literature review on the concept of scale in geography that explores the production of, and interaction among scales. The article then takes a historical approach to the evolving scales associated with the cases of the La Plata River Basin and Guarani Aquifer System to show how Brazil exerts hydropolitical regional hegemony through the construction of infrastructure and signing of agreements and treaties. Rather than a simple case of conflict or cooperation over water resources, these episodes represent a continuum of political interactions engendered by specific political goals and involving different social actors.