Petro-geographies and the dialectic of the everyday: Enforcing environmental laws in the hydrocarbon sector in post-neoliberal Ecuador

This article analyzes the environmental law enforcement in the hydrocarbon sector in post-neoliberal Ecuador through an institutional ethnography of the Ministry of Environment, drawing on critical state theories and theories of structure and agency. The article shows that the way "habits of oil rule" obstruct environmental law enforcement creates the conditions that allow these habits to continue. It suggests that scholars can contribute to the breaking of this vicious cycle and the transitioning toward post-extractivism through a publicly engaged scholarship. Such scholarship would emphasize collaborations with and practical support to people who are affected by and part of the institutional process.