Democratic neo-liberalism in Argentina: from Menem to Kirchner

EMILIA CASTORINA

From Crisis to Crises? Marxist Perspectives on Latin America in the Global Economy

Rowman and Littlefield

Lugar: Nueva York; Año: 2012;

The aim of this paper is to explore the process of capitalist recomposition (2003-2007) that followed the crisis of 2001 in Argentina. While the restructuring was successful in taming social conflict and reviving accumulation, the paper argues, it does not represent a genuine break with the neo-liberal era but rather a re-articulation and reconstitution of neoliberal policy in a somewhat more progressive form. It ultimately depends on how neo-liberalism is defined. If seen in a narrow sense of a rigid set of macroeconomic reforms, then it is plausible to argue that Argentina has moved beyond neo-liberalism after the crisis of 2001. But, if conceptualized beyond the level of specific policies, as an ambitious project of social and political disciplining, then neo-liberalism has not been overcome. For this purpose, it is key to provide: 1) a brief historical analysis of neo-liberalism from Menem to Kirchner (1989-2007) as well as 2) the neo-populist strategies aimed at making neo-liberalism politically viable by means of dicisplining and controlling popular classes.