no. 51 | january 2009

More documents

Recommendations

Info

$En Estados Unidos: la regresiÃ³n Del igualitarismo a la fractura social$

40 development dialogue january 2009 | postneoliberalism – a beginning debatetory power, which have taken shape in the new constitutions elaboratedby their respective societies. 1The dispute with the IMF and the World Bank has created a certaindistance from these institutions and their policies, while the creationof an alternative institutionality – as yet embryonic – is underwaythrough, for example, ALBA, the Banco del Sur, Petrocaribe 2and others. However, these initiatives do not in themselves indicateguidelines for an anti-capitalist endeavour, but, for the moment, theyopen up a space of greater independence with regard to the worldeconomy, which is more propitious for the building of socialism.First, to advance the processes of restoring sovereignty, indispensablein terms of their relation with the major global powers – whetherthese arise from matters of state or business – and to embark on largescalesocial projects of a socialist conception, the strengthening of thestate and its leadership are required. The paradox lies in the fact thatthe state represents an institution created by capitalism to secure privateproperty and social control.The paradox lies in the factthat the state representsan institution created bycapitalism to secure privateproperty and social control.1 A very different case – but one where there is open confrontation with the dominantscheme – is that of Iran. Even though there is no pretension here to a transition tosocialism, it would be necessary to study carefully its elements of discord in order tounderstand its particular way out of neoliberalism, if such is possible.2 Translators’ note: ALBA (‘alba’ means ‘dawn’) is the abbreviation for ‘AlternativaBolivariana para las Américas’, a new leftist movement along the Andean–Caribbeanaxis inspired by Simón Bolívar’s dream of a unifi ed American continent. The Bancodel Sur (Bank of the South) will devote fi nancial resources to the accomplishment ofindependent development objectives. Through Petrocaribe’s programme, Venezuela isusing its oil revenues to build a space for solidarity exchanges.
postneoliberalism and its bifurcations 41Second, the processes of nationalisation undertaken, or the limits imposedon transnational capital, changing its role from owner to servicesupplier or to minor shareholder, marks a substantial differenceconcerning the capacity to dispose of the strategic resources of everynation. In this case, sovereignty is held and exercised by the state, butthis still does not transform the conception of the way these resourcesare used, to the extent that intensive mining projects are still encouraged,albeit under other property norms. This is not enough for a‘change of model’; it is a first step –the follow-up to which is uncertain– but it indeed represents a historic popular claim.Third, the reinforcement of the national interest vis-à-vis the globalor transnational powers is accompanied by a centralisation of thestate, which does not turn out to be easily compatible, either with thenotion of plural nationality postulated by indigenous peoples, or withthe idea of a participatory democracy which brings the processes ofdeliberation and decision-making nearer to the community level.Lastly, the constitutions have outlined the construction of a new society.In Bolivia and Equador, there have been proposals to changethe aims of ‘development’ to those of ‘good living’, 3 marking a fundamentaldifference between development’s rush forward and the horizontal,or even circular, march of good living, which reminds us ofthe Zapatist metaphor of ‘walking at the pace of the slowest’. Theepistemological dislocation implied by emergence of the idea of goodliving takes the process towards a societal bifurcation. Therefore, thedebate is no longer about neoliberalism or postneoliberalism, butabout something else, which is no longer capitalist and which bringstogether the millenia-long experiences of communities and the radicalcriticism of capitalism. Various names have been given to this:communitarian socialism; socialism of the 21st century; socialism inthe 21st century; or not even socialism, only good living, autonomyof communities or emancipatory horizons.So, the construction of this other way of being, to which we can givethe generic name of good living, necessarily has to leave capitalismbehind, but at the same time it has to transform capitalism, with theconstant risk of being trapped in the attempt, because, among otherreasons, such a search process is undertaken from within the institutionalityof the (still capitalist) state, with all the historical and politicalburden it entails.3 On this matter, consult the texts of the new constitutions of Bolivia (2007; still notpromulgated in late 2008) and Equador (2008), as well as the article by AlbertoAcosta (2008), president of the Constituent Assembly of Equador.
Page 1: no. 51 | january 2009Postneoliberal
Page 4 and 5: AcknowledgementsWe would like to th
Page 7 and 8: Postneoliberalism: catch-all wordor
Page 9 and 10: postneoliberalism - aims of a begin
Page 15: postneoliberalism - aims of a begin
Page 18 and 19: 16 development dialogue january 200
Page 35 and 36: Postneoliberalism and its bifurcati
Page 37 and 38: postneoliberalism and its bifurcati
Page 39 and 40: postneoliberalism and its bifurcati
Page 41: postneoliberalism and its bifurcati
Page 45: postneoliberalism and its bifurcati
Page 61 and 62: Postneoliberalism from and as acoun
Page 63 and 64: postneoliberalism from and as a cou
Page 75 and 76: Postneoliberalism or postcapitalism
Page 77 and 78: postneoliberalism or postcapitalism
Page 89: postneoliberalism or postcapitalism
Page 92 and 93:
90 development dialogue january 200
Page 94 and 95:
Page 96 and 97:
Page 98 and 99:
Page 100 and 101:
Page 102 and 103:
Page 105 and 106:
Environmental crises and theambiguo
Page 107 and 108:
environmental crises and the ambigu
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
Page 115 and 116:
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119:
Page 122 and 123:
Page 124 and 125:
Page 126 and 127:
Page 128 and 129:
Page 130 and 131:
Page 132 and 133:
Page 135 and 136:
Women peasants, food securityand bi
Page 137 and 138:
women peasants, food security and b
Page 139 and 140:
Page 141 and 142:
Page 143:
Page 146 and 147:
Page 148 and 149:
Page 150 and 151:
Page 152 and 153:
Page 154 and 155:
Page 156 and 157:
Page 159 and 160:
Struggles against Wal-Martisationan
Page 161 and 162:
struggles against wal-martisation a
Page 163 and 164:
Page 165 and 166:
Page 167 and 168:
Page 169 and 170:
Page 173 and 174:
Postneoliberalism in Latin AmericaE
Page 175 and 176:
postneoliberalism in latin america
Page 177 and 178:
Page 179 and 180:
Page 181:
Page 184 and 185:
Page 186 and 187:
Page 188 and 189:
Page 190 and 191:
Page 192 and 193:
Page 194 and 195:
Page 196 and 197:
Page 198 and 199:
Page 200 and 201:
Page 202 and 203:
Page 204 and 205:
Page 206 and 207:
Page 208 and 209:
Page 210 and 211:
Page 212 and 213:
Page 214 and 215:
Page 216:
In the last 30 years, neoliberal po
show all

no. 51 | january 2009

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?