CROSSROADS OF A POLITICAL LABYRINTHAnti-Neoliberalism, Intellectual Paradigms and

Economic Development in South America

José Francisco Puello-Socarrásjosephco@yahoo.com

Universidad Nacional de San Martin (UNSAM - ARG)Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

(CONICET - ARG)Fundación de Investigaciones Sociales y Políticas (FISYP - ARG)

• Crisis of Neoliberal hegemony (paradigm of development) related with Antineoliberalism wave in the first decade of XXI century (regional and global).

• New discourses on «Development» in AL (Neo- developmental, Socialism, etc.) coming to updated. There is no Tachter’s TINA or WC’s Consensus. The “Battle of ideas” is !alive and kickin’! Neither «Post» neoliberalism

• ¿What kind of dialogue is possible between politics and intellectual fields? (Power-Knowledge dynamics).

70s 1989

20011994

1998

2004

Neoliberalism and Anti-neoliberalism in Latin America and the Caribbean

20101977

• ¿What is the so-called anti-neoliberalism (AN)?

• Which are the «new development» paradigms arisen? Are they (or not) differents from the previous neoliberal era? What’s old-and-new in AN?

• ¿How?: Who, whom, and mechanism and processes

• “Ideas matters”: Where, Who, How… ideas diseminating and materializing in social contexts through political and economic process (viewed as a social forces)

• Intellectuals as mediators (e.g. second-hand dealers) translate grand abstract ideas into specifics ones in particular contexts (crucial input to ‘action’)

Figure 1. Normative-cognitive levels in the «Battle of Ideas Dynamics»

Source: Puello-Socarrás (2008, 2009, 2010 based on Plehwe and Surel).

Ideas/

Guidelines

Transnational Hegemonic

Blocs

LEVEL I General

Principles [Paradigms/Heart-core] Metasistemic

dimension

Social System

Societal Subsystems

LEVEL III Action / Modes of

action [Estrategic]

LEVEL II Specific

Principles [Paradigms/Soft-core]

LEVEL IV Instrumentalization

[Tactical]

Actions

Hegemonic Blocs

Political Projects

Policy Programs

Global Conditions (structural)

Domestical Conditions (structural)

Domestical Situations (ad hoc)

‘Money-Doctors’

+ Think Tanks

Technopols +

Technocrats

The ‘técnicos’ Top-middle

Technical staff + National

bureaucrats

Study Case Selection in Comparative approach (mechanism-based analysis)

Categoría Argentina Bolivia VenezuelaAdopción del paradigma neoliberal hasta llegada

de gobiernos antineoliberalesTemprana

(1976-2003)

Media

(1985-2003)

Tardía

(1989-1998)

Grado de ‘tecnocratización’ neoliberal Alta Alta Media

Profundidad de las reformas neoliberales Profunda Moderada Limitada

Escenarios de protesta social vs neoliberalismo Sí Sí SíClima de crisis económica y social que motiva y

acelera anti-neoliberalismo

Sí

Sí

Sí

Retórica anti-neoliberal de nuevos gobiernos electos

(cognitiva y normativa)

Progresivamente moderada(“Capitalismo en Serio” /

«Neo»-desarrollismo)Énfasis regulativo

Progresivamente agresiva(“Socialismo

Comunitario”)Énfasis intervencionista

Progresivamente agresiva(“Socialismo Siglo XXI”)

Énfasis intervencionista / planificador

Espacios de constitución de Redes de “reformulación” del paradigma y estrategia de desarrollo neoliberal

“Consenso de Buenos Aires”

(1997/2003-2010)

Asambleas Constitucionales

(2006)

Asambleas Constitucionales

(1999/2007)

Redes Intelectuales emergentes de influencia visible en cambios de

Paradigma Desarrollo Económico

FENIX, ATLAS, MEDITERRANEA, CEMDET, IPSU,

Fundación para la Libertad, F. Economía

Social de Mercado

COMUNA NoNúcleos dispersos en

procesos de convergenciaA determinar

Conclusions1. Antineoliberalism Bifurcation: Neoliberalism’s Difraction

and Counter-neoliberalism’s in action.

2. Intellectual mediators as a crucial agents of «rethinking» development (paradigms and «models»).

3. Modes of intellectual mediation shapes diferent trajectories of the «rethinking development» processes.

4. Posibilities about AlteR/NativE forms of «development» (Paradigms Models Strategies Tactics…).

Old-Orthodox

Anglo-american

perspectives

Neoliberalism as a whole

Counter-neoliberalism

Difraction

Bifurcation

Neo

liber

alis

m

New-Hetherodox

Austrian & German

perspectives

Anti-

Neo

liber

alis

m

‘New’ Neoliberalism

Conclusions (Partial)1. Antineoliberalism Bifurcation: Neoliberalism’s Difraction

and Counter-neoliberalism’s in action.

2. Intellectual mediators as a crucial agents of «rethinking/thinking another» development (paradigms and «models»).

3. Modes of intellectual mediation shapes diferents trajectories of this process.

4. Posibilities about AlteR/NativE forms of «development» (Paradigms Models Strategies Tactics…).

Middle-range interaction /dynamics of realities constructionPo

licy

Prog

ram

s(in

stru

men

taliz

ation

)

Soci

al-P

oliti

cal P

roje

cts

(pol

itica

l env

isio

ned

utho

pies

)

Utopia is on the horizon; I walk two steps, it takes two steps back. I walk ten steps, and it is ten steps further away. The more I walk the further away it is. What is

Utopia for. It is for this, for walking

La Utopía… ella está en el horizonte. Me acerco dos pasos, ella se aleja dos pasos. Camino diez pasos y el horizonte se va diez pasos más allá. Por mucho que yo camine, nunca

la alcanzaré. Para qué sirve la Utopía? Para eso sirve: para caminar

Eduardo Galeano