Papers by Juan Pablo Ferrero
Mauricio Macri, lider de la coalicion Cambiemos, sera el proximo presidente de Argentina. Macri g... more Mauricio Macri, lider de la coalicion Cambiemos, sera el proximo presidente de Argentina. Macri gano por un estrecho margen sobre Daniel Scioli, quien fuera respaldado por la saliente presidenta Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. Los pocos votos de diferencia no menoscaba la fuerte legitimidad democratica del nuevo gobierno. Sin embargo, si traza el estado actual de las preferencias politicas del pais, divididas en dos bloques opuestos, de dos mitades iguales, con representacion institucional mas o menos equivalente en el Parlamento, las provincias y los municipios.
Latin American Politics and Society, 2014
By steering away from neoliberal orthodoxy, Latin America's left have made real progress ... more By steering away from neoliberal orthodoxy, Latin America's left have made real progress on income inequality
Latin American Politics and Society, 2014
A book that seeks to interrogate the distribution of wealth in the region of the world characteri... more A book that seeks to interrogate the distribution of wealth in the region of the world characterized precisely by holding the widest gap between the haves and the havenots is definitely good news. The changes from the impact of globalization on inequality over the past two decades have been material of analysis from many different angles and by many scholars specialized in different aspects of the region. There is general agreement that Latin America has experienced reduction in income inequality, arguably the most telling, but by no means the only, form of inequality produced by the capitalist form of accumulation. This tendency reverses, albeit partially, some of the most pernicious effects of neoliberal policies, most notably poverty levels and the gap between the rich and the poor. There is less agreement in academe, however, on the reasons why these changes have taken place. In this monograph, Arie M. Kacowicz, developing his own analytical tools in conversation with both the mainstream political economy and international relations perspectives, finds in the incorporation of the "political variable" a critical dimension to produce a new and convincing argument: the effects of globalization on the distribution of wealth vary depending on the nature of states' action. Contemporary Argentina in particular and Latin America in general serve as empirical case studies to test the author's idea. As the author puts it, the book studies the "complex relationship between the phenomenon of globalization and distribution of wealth, analyzed through the prism of poverty and inequality, as a political problem in international relations" (1, emphasis in the original). The conceptual debate, together with the presentation of the author's analytical model, is undertaken in the first three chapters, and the discussion in relation to the empirical case studies in the final three, six in total, in addition to a comprehensive introduction and conclusion. Again, the study focuses on the relationship between globalization and distribution of wealth. For the author, politics plays a critical part in that relationship because it mediates the impact between global forces and the domestic well-being of societies and citizenry, which in turn affects the levels of poverty, inequality, and
Democracy against Neoliberalism in Argentina and Brazil, 2014
This chapter explains the move to the left in Argentina and Brazil, arguing that it was the conse... more This chapter explains the move to the left in Argentina and Brazil, arguing that it was the consequence of democracy against neoliberalism. A new complex political formation was activated at the margins of the power structures and gained a unified force, in turn challenging the dominant narrative cementing the oligarchic status quo that governed the 1990s. As a result, neoliberalism was undermined as central discourse and a new post-neoliberal formation gained hegemonic status and redistributed established places and functions, opening the possibility for the alternative political resolution of social problems such as unemployment, poverty, and inequality.
Democracy against Neoliberalism in Argentina and Brazil, 2014
The debate on democracy is as rich as it is extensive, but in the context of Latin America it gai... more The debate on democracy is as rich as it is extensive, but in the context of Latin America it gains particular strength in light of long-lasting dictatorships that have shaped the sociopolitical arena of its recent fascinating history. Discussing democracy therefore means also discussing the concepts of social order, insubordination, economy, politics, the nature of continuity and change, the subject of change, and others.
Democracy against Neoliberalism in Argentina and Brazil, 2014
Since the 2000s, Latin America has experienced transformation, the effects of which have challeng... more Since the 2000s, Latin America has experienced transformation, the effects of which have challenged the hegemonic dominance of neoliberalism in the region. Scholars assessed this process as “Latin America’s left turn”1 as well as the formation of a “post-Washington consensus era.”2 Although these studies contribute to understanding the “point of arrival” of a process of significant political struggle and societal change, the “left turn” hypothesis remains insufficient to explain the undercurrents that slowly undermined the hegemony of neoliberalism, particularly during the 1990s. How was the collective “we” produced that enabled contestation and ultimately challenged the established order? Who formed part of this new collective “we” that with its emergence claimed the reconfiguration of the public space?
Democracy against Neoliberalism in Argentina and Brazil, 2014
Social protest, actions of discontent, and alternative practices are frequently studied as result... more Social protest, actions of discontent, and alternative practices are frequently studied as result of opportunities opened up by the dynamic of sociopolitical cycles;2 as the effect of grievances experienced because of durable inequalities,3 or, finally, as the consequence of state withdrawal from its regulatory functions.4 In other words, most accounts of social protest tend to explain social processes, including uprisings and demonstrations, by applying existing theoretical narratives to emerging sociopolitical phenomena, leaving little room for the arrival of new sociopolitical practices outside preestablished conceptual boxes This tendency emphasizes repetition, like for example the idea of “protest cycles,”5 over the emergence of something new, potentially disruptive with lasting consequences, able to change the structures of “path dependencies.”6 In order to be able to detect such transformations, we need to work with unfixed notions of both “the social” and “the political.” To put it bluntly, social subjects operate in specific contexts that condition their actions, but, importantly, the latter in turn can affect the nature of the former. Against this backdrop, the aim of this chapter is to delve into the array of meanings emerging from, primarily, different forms of social protest, on the one hand, and “alternative forms of doing,”7 on the other, in order to understand the meaning of hidden patterns of relationships within apparently dissimilar forms of actions.
Rebelión ha publicado este artículo con el permiso del autor mediante una licencia de Creative Co... more Rebelión ha publicado este artículo con el permiso del autor mediante una licencia de Creative Commons, respetando su libertad para publicarlo en otras fuentes.
Social Policy & Administration, 2015
Bulletin of Latin American Research, 2015
This book discusses twentieth-century Brazilian political thought, arguing that while Rio de Jane... more This book discusses twentieth-century Brazilian political thought, arguing that while Rio de Janeiro intellectuals envisaged the state and the national bourgeoisie as the means to overcome dependency on foreign ideas and culture, São Paulo intellectuals looked to civil society and the establishment of new academic institutions in the search for national identity. Ronald H. Chilcote begins his study by outlining Brazilian intellectuals' attempt to transcend a sense of inferiority emanating from Brazilian colonialism and backwardness. Next, he traces the struggle for national identity in Rio de Janeiro through an account of how intellectuals of varying political persuasions united in search of a political ideology of national development. He then presents an analysis by São Paulo intellectuals on racial discrimination, social inequality, and class differentiation under early capitalism and industrialization. The book concludes with a discussion on how Brazilian intellectuals chall...
This book examines the complex roots of the left turn in Argentina and Brazil. Originating in the... more This book examines the complex roots of the left turn in Argentina and Brazil. Originating in the 1990s in a process of mobilization from below against neoliberalism, this turn gained visibility in the 2000s and continues through the present day. Offering an in-depth analysis of key protagonists, including social movement and trade union organizations, Juan Pablo Ferrero deploys an original analytical model for understanding the nature, meaning, and organizational complexity of the emerging democratic force. Democracy against Neoliberalism in Argentina and Brazil asks us to examine closely what we mean by democracy and offers suggestions for how the left should approach democratic manifestations in order to make radical democracy the center of a renewed political strategy.
Recent experiences of social movements in South America and the expansion of noninstitutional for... more Recent experiences of social movements in South America and the expansion of noninstitutional forms of collective action have given rise to new conceptual frameworks such as participatory democracy, which aim to capture the impact of new forms of participation and collective action on democracy in the region. As a means of exploring the possibilities of deepening democracy, such frameworks have taken as their focal point the institutionalisation of 'alternative' forms and processes of participation. However, the focus on institutionalisation has usually bypassed the more radical dimensions of the discourses and practices of the movements-the 'disagreement' at their heart. By way of illustrative cases of two contemporary movements from Argentina (Piqueteros) and Brazil (Movement of Rural Landless Workers) we focus on two questions: What is the contribution of social movements to the process of democratisation? To what extent is such contribution being captured by new scholarly work on participatory and deliberative democracy? We analyse the political struggle within, against and beyond democratic 'borders' led by social movements in three historical moments. By distinguishing the dimensions of 'real policies' and 'imagined politics' we suggest that new conceptualisations such as 'participatory democracy' are unable to recognise the alternative democratic realities that emerge out of disagreement and play a regulatory role in transforming disagreement into dissent. Hope is then lost in translation. We suggest that Radical Democratic Theory can offer a better work of translation, as it is able to grasp the vital dimension of movements' collective action that resists integration into the hegemonic cannon, thus reflecting the movements' own reflection of their emancipatory collective action.
Comparative Political Studies, 2013
Politics, 2021
We seek to disentangle the process through which some democratic polities ‘escape’ from neolibera... more We seek to disentangle the process through which some democratic polities ‘escape’ from neoliberal rule while others do not. We understand neoliberalism as the resulting equilibrium provoked by the restoration of class power that undermined the pro-labour policies of the post-war period. Why do some democracies enter a route of political experimentation that challenges the status quo while others remain ‘trapped’ in an orthodox neoliberal settlement? Our argument is that for a democratic polity to initiate a transition from neoliberal rule, there needs to be a crisis of neoliberal rule, a compelling alternative willing to contend for state power in national elections, and a reliable democratic settlement that allows the victory of the challenger – that is, the alternative – over the neoliberal rulers. This model will be discussed by examining the following three cases: Argentina, Greece, and Mexico.
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Papers by Juan Pablo Ferrero