The Return of the State in Argentina

Argentina’s economic collapse in December 2001 is seen as perhaps the most emblematic evidence of the failure of neoliberalism in the developing world to provide sustainable and equitable economic growth. A new policy frame has gradually emerged since the crisis which relies on a more active state in the promotion of growth. This article examines the prospects for state-led growth in Argentina in the context of open markets. It explores the policies implemented since 2002 and asks to what extent they constitute a possible route to stable post-crisis governance.

Open veins of Brazil: Tension, perplexity and the (re)emergence of popular protests

Brazil has posed one of the most puzzling dilemmas for politicians and academics alike: how is it possible that in a country where growth has been sustained for the last decade, where inflation levels have been kept under control, where purchasing power of the average wage has grown in real terms, where unemployment remains at a minimum and where 50 million Brazilians were lifted out of poverty to join the ranks of the ‘new middle class’, a massive popular protest has taken to the streets in twelve cities for the last months? Where does this protest come from? Why has neither the government nor the opposition recognised the latent discontent? How can such discontent occur in a country that has consistently expressed high levels of support to and satisfaction with the government of Dilma Rousseff? Brazil is in tension and it is puzzling

The World Bank as a norm-broker : knowledge, funds and power in governance reforms in Argentina

This study explores the role of the World Bank in the promotion of two governance reforms in Argentina, judicial reform and anti-corruption policies. It argues that when the World Bank is able to draw on both its financial and knowledge power to build and consolidate 'pro-reform networks' with local actors it is more likely to ensure the implementation of governance reforms in its client countries. This argument is built on the premise that whatever the leverage of the World Bank as a financial institution or as a Knowledge Bank, and despite this leverage, it cannot implement programmes by itself in developing countries. A loan and its conditions may be negotiated and approved with government officials, yet the materialisation of projects into policies and institutions is embedded in complex policy process in which the interplay between Bank staff and local actors (beyond government officials) can favour or inhibit policy change. In this context, it is argued that the dominance of a particular actor or paradigm vis-a-vis other contending actors or ideas is not reinforced simply by the coercive position of the lender over the borrower, but rather by its capacity to integrate contesting impulses into broader consensus for policy change. In this capacity, the World Bank is defined as a 'normbroker'. Through a framework that combines critical perspectives in International Political Economy and institutional analysis, this thesis explores different patterns of intervention of World Bank units that acted either as a mere 'conveyor' in the transfer of funds and knowledge or as a 'broker' by integrating the normative agenda grounded in Bank's knowledge with country-based knowledge for the design, negotiation and implementation of governance reforms in Argentina. The theoretical and empirical study of judicial reform and anti-corruption in Argentina contribute to the understanding of reform implementation in which the Bank only succeeds in achieving effective institutionalisation when it engages with local actors, in particular with local experts, in pro-reform networks. By analysing different patterns of involvement of Bank units, this thesis also identifies knowledge/policy dynamics as a critical aspect of policy-making. From this perspective, this thesis departs from traditional studies that focus on one-way coercive leverage of lending institutions and offers a critical approach to the analysis of power, knowledge and policy change in developing countries. It also sheds light on the complexities of international organisations as they expand their roles towards new areas of involvement that fall into the domain of domestic policy-making

En búsqueda de una inserción financiera poshegemónica. La política financiera externa del kirchnerismo

The paper analyzes the main transformations that occurred in the Argentine external financial policy between 2003 and 2015. Based on statistical series, journalistic sources, and secondary literature, the main actions of the State regarding external public debt, financing strategy and relations with the financial sector and international credit agencies are studied . De-indebtedness expresses the deployment of a posthegemonic financial inclusion , characterized by appealing to own resources and external financing from official and multilateral creditors with whom there was political affinity. The emergence of the external restriction caused a moderate retreat in this strategy, which underwent a drastic turnaround after the triumph of the Cambiemos coalition.O artigo analisa as principais transformações ocorridas na política financeira externa da Argentina entre 2003 e 2015. Com base em séries estatísticas, fontes jornalísticas e bibliografia secundária, são estudadas as principais ações do Estado em relação à dívida pública externa, a estratégia de financiamento e as relações com o setor financeiro e as agências internacionais de crédito. O desendividamento expressa a implantação de uma inserção financeira pós-hegemônica, caracterizada por apelar a recursos próprios e ao financiamento externo de credores oficiais e multilaterais com os quais havia afinidade política. O surgimento da restrição externa gerou um recuo moderado nessa estratégia, que sofreu uma drástica reviravolta depois do triunfo do movimento de coalizão Cambiemos.El artículo analiza las principales transformaciones acontecidas en la política financiera externa de Argentina entre 2003 y 2015. Con base en series estadísticas, fuentes periodísticas y bibliografía secundaria, se estudian las principales acciones del Estado en torno a la deuda pública externa, la estrategia de financiamiento y las relaciones con el sector financiero y los organismos internacionales de crédito. El desendeudamiento expresa el despliegue de una inserción financiera poshegemónica, caracterizada por apelar a recursos propios y al financiamiento externo de acreedores oficiales y multilaterales con los que había afinidad política. La aparición de la restricción externageneró un repliegue moderado en esta estrategia, que sufrió un giro drástico a partir del triunfo de la coalición Cambiemos

Argentina’s legalisation of abortion is only the beginning of the battle for reproductive rights in Latin America

Legalisation of abortion in Argentina is a huge breakthrough in the struggle for the human rights of women in Latin America. But much work is still to be done if women are to achieve equal citizenship in all aspects of social, economic, cultural, political, and family life instead of being defined by reproduction and motherhood, write Pia Riggirozzi (University of Southampton) and Jean Grugel (University of York)

Regional integration and poverty: how do southern regionalisms embed norms and practices of social development through health governance and diplomacy?

Regional organisations are moving away from traditional market-based goals to embrace issues of welfare and social development, yet little is known what role, if any, regional organisations can play in policy formation that is conducive to embed alternative approaches to development into national and international strategies and normative frameworks. This paper explores how Southern regional organisations and regionalisms as advanced by the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are framing and advancing pro-poor norms and goals. While not coherent citizenship-centred projects of regionalism, SADC and UNASUR have manifested new ambitions regarding poverty reduction and the promotion of welfare and are developing modalities conducive to embed these goals in national and global policy-making. The analysis focuses on the specific area of health, a proxy to poverty reduction in both regional organisations, to argue that Southern regional organisations, while neglected partners in global governance of development, are can promote and prescribe standards for social development and poverty reduction; and act as forum for the advocacy of equity and rights. In this context, there are three key messages from this paper: (i) poverty needs to be brought in to the study of regional integration and regional governance; (ii) the efforts of regional organisations to reduce poverty need to be taken more seriously in the literature and in practice; and (iii) regional organisations can be seen as engines of norms, spaces for advocacy and effective normative corridors affecting policy at national and international levels of governance

The World Bank as a norm-broker : knowledge, funds and power in governance reforms in Argentina

This study explores the role of the World Bank in the promotion of two governance reforms in Argentina, judicial reform and anti-corruption policies. It argues that when the World Bank is able to draw on both its financial and knowledge power to build and consolidate 'pro-reform networks' with local actors it is more likely to ensure the implementation of governance reforms in its client countries. This argument is built on the premise that whatever the leverage of the World Bank as a financial institution or as a Knowledge Bank, and despite this leverage, it cannot implement programmes by itself in developing countries. A loan and its conditions may be negotiated and approved with government officials, yet the materialisation of projects into policies and institutions is embedded in complex policy process in which the interplay between Bank staff and local actors (beyond government officials) can favour or inhibit policy change. In this context, it is argued that the dominance of a particular actor or paradigm vis-a-vis other contending actors or ideas is not reinforced simply by the coercive position of the lender over the borrower, but rather by its capacity to integrate contesting impulses into broader consensus for policy change. In this capacity, the World Bank is defined as a 'normbroker'. Through a framework that combines critical perspectives in International Political Economy and institutional analysis, this thesis explores different patterns of intervention of World Bank units that acted either as a mere 'conveyor' in the transfer of funds and knowledge or as a 'broker' by integrating the normative agenda grounded in Bank's knowledge with country-based knowledge for the design, negotiation and implementation of governance reforms in Argentina. The theoretical and empirical study of judicial reform and anti-corruption in Argentina contribute to the understanding of reform implementation in which the Bank only succeeds in achieving effective institutionalisation when it engages with local actors, in particular with local experts, in pro-reform networks. By analysing different patterns of involvement of Bank units, this thesis also identifies knowledge/policy dynamics as a critical aspect of policy-making. From this perspective, this thesis departs from traditional studies that focus on one-way coercive leverage of lending institutions and offers a critical approach to the analysis of power, knowledge and policy change in developing countries. It also sheds light on the complexities of international organisations as they expand their roles towards new areas of involvement that fall into the domain of domestic policy-making.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceUniversity of WarwickGBUnited Kingdo

UNASUR: construcción de una diplomacia regional en materia de salud a través de políticas sociales

La lucha contra la pobreza y el acceso a mejores condiciones de vida, incluido el reconocimiento de derechos, son desafíos persistentes que afectan de manera desproporcionada a los países en desarrollo y sus poblaciones más vulnerables. Al mismo tiempo, la integración regional en América Latina hoy representa un conglomerado de proyectos que no solo aborda temas comerciales, sino también políticos y sociales, articu-lados alrededor de nuevos objetivos y prácticas, basados en solidaridad y autonomía. Esto se ha manifestado particularmente en el área de salud, donde –bajo la coordinación de UNASUR–, una innovadora estructura institucional lidera programas, recursos y políticas para mejorar el acceso a la salud en la región y, mediante una nueva “diplomacia regional”, la posición frente a actores internacionales en materia de acceso a medi-camentos y derecho a la salud. Este artículo explora UNASUR Salud en la región y frente a actores externos, y argumenta que la región debe ser considerada como “espacio para la práctica política” tanto como “actor internacional”, redefiniendo a la vez qué es región y para qué sirve, así como las sinergias entre regionalismo y desarrollo social