The ‘Neoliberal Turn’ and the New Social Policy in Latin America: How Neoliberal, How New?

Abstract

The term neoliberal is widely used as shorthand to describe the policy environment of the last three decades. Yet the experience of the Latin American region suggests that it is too broad a descriptor for what is in fact a sequenced, fragmented and politically indeterminate process. This article examines the evolution of social protection in the region, and argues for a more grounded, historical approach to neoliberalism, and for some analytic refinement to capture the different ‘moments’ in its policy evolution, its variant regional modalities, and its co‐existence with earlier policies and institutional forms. It suggests that totalizing conceptions of neoliberalism as imposing an inexorable market logic with predetermined social and political outcomes fail to capture the variant modalities, adaptations and indeed resistance to the global diffusion of the structural reforms. This article outlines the systems of social welfare prevailing in Latin America prior to the reforms, and then examines the principle elements of what has been termed the ‘New Social Policy’ in Latin America, engaging three issues: the periodization of neoliberalism; the role of the state; and the place of politics in the neoliberal reform agenda.

Health Care Privatization in Latin America: Comparing Divergent Privatization Approaches in Chile, Colombia, and Mexico

“…Privatization was part of the policy discourse of this period that was endorsed by political leaders such as Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher who advocated for limiting the scope of governments. A policy elite renewal that occurred in Latin America at the time became part of a so-called neoliberal consensus (Molyneux 2008). This new group of policy makers endorsed privatization along with other strategies to reform governments such as liberalization and decentralization in the region.…”

Social Investment Policies in Chile and Latin America: Towards Equal Opportunities for Women and Children?

“…As Jane Jenson (2009) shows, social investment ideas have also entered postadjustment policy-making in Latin America, where concerns about persistent poverty, inequality and social exclusion have mixed with efficiency arguments about activation and investment. It is within this logic that certain state activities have become re-legitimated, and experimentation with a very heterogeneous set of 'new' social policies has taken place (Barrientos et al, 2008;Molyneux, 2008). As the first section of the article will show, regional policies targeted at improving the wellbeing of children have included cash transfers, nutritional programmes and informal daycare as well as more professionalised early education services.…”

Human Rights and the Pink Tide in Latin America: Which Rights Matter?

“…Claiming human rights generally makes sense for Latin American social movements and civil society (Peruzzotti, ; Sikkink, ). For these reasons, considerable scholarly attention has been paid to unpacking the impact of democratization on human rights (Molyneux, ; Panizza, ; Yashar, ) and to examining cases of rights abuses in particular countries. Much less attention has been paid as yet to how the election of left‐wing governments has reshaped the human rights agenda in the region.…”