There are stark differences between the waste recycling literature from the global North and that from the global South. The literature from the global North tends to focus on empirical analyses of existing municipal recycling services and rarely considers institutional factors. When it does, the theoretical approaches adopted are limited, especially regarding the role of informal institutions. In contrast, recycling literature from the global South does focus on informal institutions, but it does so by concentrating on the struggles of waste pickers rather than on the performance of waste management services provided by local authorities. This divergence in the literature suggests the need for an analytical framework that integrates institutions and recycling performance. This article analyses waste disposal regimes in two Latin American metropolitan areas, Medellín (Colombia) and Santiago (Chile), and explores the link between income inequality and recycling. It focuses on the political settlements that lie at the heart of the waste regimes. As such, waste regimes in these two cities are understood to be a product of the interplay of balances of power, institutions and distribution of benefits. The study also highlights the need to understand informal institutions as relational phenomena that affect both the rich and the poor, and not just as a subsistence strategy by the latter.

中文翻译：

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哥伦比亚和智利的废弃政治住区：回收中的权力，不平等和非正式

来自全球北部和全球南部的废物回收文献之间存在明显差异。来自全球北方的文献倾向于侧重于对现有市政回收服务的实证分析，很少考虑制度因素。在这种情况下，所采用的理论方法是有限的，特别是在非正式机构的作用方面。相比之下，来自全球南方的回收文献确实集中在非正式机构上，但它的重点是废物收集者的挣扎，而不是地方当局提供的废物管理服务的表现。文献中的这种差异表明，需要一个将机构和回收绩效相结合的分析框架。本文分析了两个拉丁美洲大都市区麦德林（哥伦比亚）和圣地亚哥（智利）的废物处置制度，并探讨了收入不平等与回收利用之间的联系。它着重于废物制度核心的政治解决。因此，这两个城市的废物管理制度被认为是权力，机构和利益分配之间相互影响的产物。该研究还强调需要将非正式制度理解为一种既影响富人又影响穷人的关系现象，而不仅仅是作为后者的生存策略。人们认为这两个城市的废物管理制度是权力，机构和利益分配之间相互影响的产物。该研究还强调需要将非正式制度理解为一种既影响富人又影响穷人的关系现象，而不仅仅是作为后者的生存策略。人们认为这两个城市的废物管理制度是权力，机构和利益分配之间相互影响的产物。该研究还强调需要将非正式制度理解为一种既影响富人又影响穷人的关系现象，而不仅仅是作为后者的生存策略。