Reconstruction of Relationships between the State and Social Organisations in Argentina and Bolivia since the 1990s

RAMÍREZ, ALEJANDRA; PARTENIO, FLORENCIA; WILKIS, ARIEL; DE LA FUENTE, MANUEL

Global Change and Sustainable Development: A Synthesis of Regional Experiences from Research Partnerships

Geographica Bernensia

Lugar: Berna, Suiza; Año: 2010; p. 463 - 480

What processes have been involved in the reconstruction of relationships between social organisations and the state in Bolivia and Argentina since the 1990s? This was the key question addressed in a study of the impact of public policies on the relationships among social and state agents in both countries, where new public policies are characterised by a process of administrative and political decentralisation. The research conducted showed that both countries have societies in which social organisations had, and continue to have, a very strong influence on the design and control of public policies. Hence the relationships between the state and social organisations are not based on dichotomies. Rather, they are marked by different forms of interpenetration, with the state influencing organisations and vice versa. These forms of interpenetration continuously trigger processes of social and state reconstruction. Gender issues are becoming an increasingly important aspect in these processes.