Privatization of public services in Argentina: recent trends and developments

YAÑEZ, MANUEL

Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires

Congreso; Young Scholars Initiative Latin America Convening 2018; 2018

Young Scholars Initiative - Institute for New Economic Thinking

The analysis of changes in the apparatus and state functions during the last decades in Latin America must be carried out taking into account their relationship with the transformations of world capitalism during the same period. In this sense, the changes in the relations between the State and the market have been expressed, among other aspects, in how the provision of public services has been organized. In Argentina, the different processes of privatization and nationalization of companies and services must be considered in this general framework.In particular, privatization processes have been the subject of various studies and interpretations, both by those who affirm their convenience and those who assume a critical stance. These processes have been presented in different intensities and forms in recent times: corporatization, outsourcing, public-private partnerships and property transfer.In recent years, international organizations have intensified the push to create PPPs as an optimal way to develop infrastructure and concession public services. In Argentina, the current government presents this policy as the solution to fiscal difficulties.At this point, it is pertinent to reflect on the theoretical implications of the various forms of privatization and how they affect the provision of public services; besides incorporating the analysis of the related policies and some facts about the international experience that may serve as a reference