The political economy of inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean: the neoliberal cycle and the turn to the left
RESEARCH CALL FOR TEAMS
Platform “Inequalities and poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean”
Registration closes: June 5, 2023
Latin America and the Caribbean has become the most unequal region in the world, with extremely high levels of wealth concentration (both in terms of assets and income) and opportunities, resulting in poverty, inequality, exclusion, marginalization, and exploitation. These factors have hampered both economic growth and social justice, democracy, and other dimensions of full citizenship. This long-standing trend reversed during the first decade and a half of the 21st century with the so-called leftward shift. However, these advances have now stalled or even regressed within the context of the global hegemonic crisis.
In this context, it is worth asking: What are the causes and mechanisms that transformed Latin America and the Caribbean into the most unequal region in the world, and why did this moment of change and incipient reversal of this process occur? What were the causes and effects of neoliberalism, and what were those of non-liberal or anti-neoliberal dynamics in these areas of concentration and inequality? In structural terms, how have the political economies of inequality and concentration that determine the dynamics of accumulation in the region and its countries been shaped, and how is it possible to transform them? In institutional terms, how have unequal regimes been established that justify and legitimize both the production of the rich and the production of the poor, the subjugated, and the exploited; and what can be done to change them into egalitarian regimes oriented toward justice and social democracy? In social terms, how have social and economic agents reacted, adopting or transforming, resisting or innovating social reproduction strategies in spaces of education, work, leisure, etc., and how can aspirations, desires and realities for the good life of Latin Americans and Caribbeans be derived from these experiences and practices?
The debate raised is not new, but neither is it common today. A critical line of Latin American and Caribbean political economy, initiated with Dependency Theory and its critical offshoots, was lost from academic circles, where the neoclassical paradigm, which disregards regional specificities, took hold. Critically speaking, it is necessary to recover a long-term geopolitical and historical perspective to address the region's macrostructural issues.
Another line of debate, at the mesostructural level, lies in research on the formal institutional layer of unequal regimes. Here, a highly relevant contribution and critique can be made because in the region, the consolidation of inequalities, subalternization, and exploitation is largely based on informal institutions. This also allows for a productive comparative analysis with reference to the patterns identified in the US and Western Europe, framed in terms of alternative modes of statehood: enabling academics in the 'center' to learn something from the 'peripheries'.
A third line of inquiry underpinning this Call for Proposals assesses the microstructural relationships between natives and immigrants, racial majorities and minorities, men, women, and gender non-conforming individuals, revealing increasingly unbearable disparities in wealth, income, wages, human capital, employment rates and occupational segregation, territorial characteristics, health, education, and other dimensions. In general, men earn more than women, and natives earn more than immigrants. These disparities can be partly attributed to social origins, opportunities, educational pathways, training, health, and mental health. However, in societies with historically entrenched colonial pasts and legacies, prejudices and stereotypes also play a role. The exploitation, discrimination, and exclusion of marginalized groups is a crucial issue, one that is often overlooked in mainstream economics.
Based on these analyses, CLACSO promotes the development of Platforms for Social Dialogue (PDS), conceived as spaces for multi-actor and multidimensional work, exchange, and proposals. Therefore, within the framework of the PDS “Inequalities and Poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean,” we are launching the Call for Proposals: The Political Economy of Inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean: The Neoliberal Cycle and the Leftward Turn . This call encourages applications from research teams comprised of researchers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds, together with activists and leaders of social movements, as well as individuals with work and activities related to the topic.
The objective of this Call is to understand the current structures, institutions, and agents of the Political Economy of inequality, poverty, subalternization, and exploitation in Latin America and the Caribbean, especially in the historical period between the so-called Neoliberal Cycle and the so-called Left Turn, in order to examine one or more of the following aspects:
- The framework/approach that must be given to understand and interpret inequality, poverty, subalternization and exploitation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- The role played by global accumulation dynamics and transnational value chains in the phenomena of inequality and subalternization in countries and the region.
- The accumulation alternatives linked to egalitarian and inclusive dynamics, also considering the historical precedent of the leftward shift, with its possibilities and limitations.
- The roles played by social institutions and state apparatuses in the confirmation or change of unequal regimes, as well as their ideologies and aspirational imaginaries.
- The ways in which social and economic agents, both dominant and subordinate groups, operate in organizations, academia, the third sector, churches, and local governments in the face of advancing inequalities.
- The place and roles of the systemically marginalized and subalternized in the new international division of labor in the neo-capitalist transition that the world is experiencing.
- The relationships between structural dynamics and social agency, between the logics of accumulation and the logics of interaction of people, conceived within a possible horizon of reform and change.
- Situated readings to understand the intersectionality between migration, gender, class, schooling, ethnic and age group, territorial situation, in the political economy of inequalities.
CONTEST RULES
- At least one applicant must be a researcher with accredited ties to one of the CLACSO Member Centers. The information provided on the application form is considered a sworn statement. If awarded the scholarship, the applicant must submit a letter of support signed by the highest authority of the member center.
- Collective applications are expected (teams of between 3 and 6 members).
- Team composition must respect gender parity and each team must select one member as the project registration manager. Teams must consist of established researchers—those with a master's degree, doctorate, or equivalent qualification and a proven academic track record—and researchers in training—those currently pursuing a master's or doctoral degree or holding an undergraduate degree. Teams are expected to be intergenerational, integrating researchers with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
- On the other hand, teams may include activists or leaders of social movements and public policy decision-makers. However, this requirement is not exclusive.
- Each researcher may only participate with one proposal in this call.
- If the project is awarded and any travel is necessary, the winners will have to cover the costs of medical insurance or similar expenses themselves.
Up to 6 projects will be supported.
The amount of support will consist of US$6.000 (six thousand US dollars or its equivalent in local currency) for each winning proposal.
The proposed research will be carried out over a maximum period of 10 (ten) months. Funding will be disbursed in installments via bank transfers made to the recipients. Up to 50% of the funds received by each project may be used to organize or support in-person meetings of the research team.
The winners will work with the support of tutors assigned by CLACSO who will follow the process of their research and results.
CLACSO will publish the final products in print and/or digital media, giving them wide publicity and dissemination through the means it deems appropriate. If necessary, researchers will be asked to make the adaptations and adjustments required for the publication of the resulting research.
The authors will transfer the original publication rights of their works, given that CLACSO adheres to and defends the principles of open science and open access to knowledge, so that the resulting work is easy to find, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. Subsequently, these works may be published in any other medium, always citing this Call for Papers. Researchers must inform CLACSO of the subsequent publication of the works resulting from their research.
- The member centers to which the applicants are linked must not have any outstanding debts in the payment of membership fees corresponding to the year 2022.
- Completed research projects will not be accepted. Proposals may be linked to ongoing research processes, but the final works must be original and unpublished products and developed within the period established by the call for proposals.
- Members of the Steering Committee or officials of the CLACSO Executive Secretariat may not participate.
- Proposals from researchers who are currently recipients of research grants, fellowships, or research projects organized by CLACSO will not be accepted. Applications from researchers who have previously received a CLACSO research grant will be accepted, provided that the recipient has fulfilled all obligations in a timely manner.
- Texts written in the four languages commonly used in Latin America and the Caribbean (Spanish, English, Portuguese and French) will be accepted, depending on the country of origin of the proposal.
- In the first stage, the submitted proposals will be reviewed for their formal and administrative aspects to ensure their compliance with the competition rules. Proposals that do not meet the established requirements will be rejected.
- Applications that pass to the next stage will be evaluated by an International Committee composed of experts who will assess the quality and relevance of the proposals, which will be submitted under a pseudonym.
- The Call may be declared void or a smaller number of scholarship recipients may be selected, if the proposals submitted do not meet the required quality and consistency.
- Situations not covered in this document will be resolved by the convening institution.
- The ruling will be irrevocable and unappealable.
- The research projects will develop their work plan between August 2023 and June 2024. This plan will be implemented under the facilitation of tutors assigned by CLACSO.
- The progress and final reports submitted by the researchers will be evaluated by the tutors.
- The final products to be delivered will be at least three:
- Research papers should be between 12.000 and 15.000 words in length (excluding appendices and bibliography), written in Times New Roman 12-point font, single-spaced. This is an approximate guideline, and CLACSO reserves the right to make adjustments or exceptions if deemed necessary. Furthermore, once submitted, CLACSO may request adjustments and revisions from researchers to ensure the final research papers meet institutional publication criteria. The text structure is flexible, adhering to academic writing conventions and CLACSO's editorial guidelines, as well as APA style and gender considerations.
- Action Guidelines (ALG) document, containing input, proposals, and recommendations for public policies and social intervention on the topics investigated. The format of these AGGs will be communicated in due course.
- A training proposal for public policy agents or members of social organizations that can be implemented and expresses the main findings of the research carried out.
The objective of these three products (which are a minimum requirement for compliance with the objectives of the Call) will be to promote social, multi-actor and multi-sectoral dialogues on the topics addressed by each team.
The three established products may be complemented with audiovisual materials or pieces intended for social networks.
All results must be communicated in writing, but the production of other formats and languages to communicate and make them visible will also be promoted, such as: audiovisuals, materials for social networks and booklets or booklets with tools for action.
It is mandatory that the submission be made through the online registration system provided by CLACSO. Printed submissions and submissions sent by email will not be accepted. It is recommended to access the online system to review the registration form.
1. Visit the CLACSO website clacso.org. The online registration system will be available starting April 25th.
2. Register in the CLACSO Single Registration System (SUIC). The generated username and password will be required each time you wish to access the system to consult, modify, add, or submit information for this or any other CLACSO activity. Applicants with collaborative proposals must open a single form that includes all researchers on the team. One of the authors must also be designated as responsible for the registration. This same person will receive the corresponding monetary award if the proposal is selected by the Jury.
3. Identify the proposal by indicating its title and the pseudonym of the applicant(s). Applications with pseudonyms that correspond to the applicant's first and/or last name will not be accepted. Once the corresponding fields are completed, the system will enable the uploading of the following data.
4. Applicants must indicate on the form their affiliation with a Member Center belonging to the CLACSO network. The database of member centers can be found at: clacso.org.ar/clacso/centros_miembros_clacso/inicio.php.
5. Complete the personal and academic data form and attach the curriculum vitae in free format; the digital copy of the identity document, passport or ID card; the digital copy of the highest academic degree obtained (or proof of degree in process) and the photograph.
6. The proposal must be filled out on the form that appears once the personal and academic data has been completed.
Once registration is closed, the system will produce an electronic certificate of receipt that will serve as proof.
Registration closes: June 5, 2023
Winners will be announced in July 2023.
Project completion: between August 2023 and June 2024
Final report submission: June 2024
The results will be published on the CLACSO website. The winners will be contacted by email.
Queries: [email protected]
Terms and conditions and forms: link
OPINION – The political economy of inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean: the neoliberal cycle and the turn to the left
At CLACSO we promote the deployment of Platforms for Social Dialogue
(PDS), conceived as spaces for work, exchange and proposals
multi-actor and multidimensional. Within the framework of the PDS “Inequalities and
The present Call for Proposals was launched in response to the issue of poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
It aimed to understand the current structures, institutions, and agents of
The Political Economy of inequalities, poverty, subalternization and
exploitation in Latin America and the Caribbean, especially during the historical period
included between the so-called Neoliberal Cycle and the so-called Turn to the Left.
They were opened 119 forms and were finally received 41 applications
complete, which after the technical and formal review, were in condition to
be qualitatively evaluated by the International Committee to consider the
quality, relevance and coherence of the proposals according to the standards of the
Announcement.
The evaluation process was carried out by an International Committee composed
by 8 experts 4 Countries: Raúl Hernández Mar (Mexico), Fernanda Sañudo
(Colombia), Laura Golbert (Argentina), Gabriela Roffinelli (Argentina), Julio
Gambina (Argentina), Josefina Torres (Mexico), Luz Dary Naranjo (Colombia) and
René Ramírez (Ecuador).
Following the evaluation, which recognized the excellent quality, relevance and
rigor of most applications, Six proposals were selected.
The list of proposals selected in this Call for Proposals is as follows:
|
Selected Proposals |
|||
|
Authors |
Member Center |
Country |
Title of the proposal |
|
Alejandro Del Bufalo, Luciana Madrid, Orángel Rivas |
Venezuelan School of Planning Foundation – EVP |
Venezuela |
The Rise and Fall of the Working Class in Latin American and Caribbean Countries: A Look at Inequality from a Marxist Economic Theory Perspective |
|
Cecilia Anigstein, Jonatan Nuñez, Evelyn Vallejos |
Institute of Latin American and Caribbean Studies – IEALC/UBA – Faculty of Social Sciences – University of Buenos Aires GT. Political ecologies from the South/Abya-Yala, What work for what future?, Energy and sustainable development |
Argentina |
Extractivism and energy transition. Work, community life and distributive ecological conflicts in the lithium mining enclave of Catamarca |
|
Rene Gonzalo Gosalvez Sologuren, Jorge Viaña, Tania Quilali Erazo |
Plurinational School of Public Management – EGPP GT. Crisis and the world economy, The State as a contradiction |
Bolivia |
Research into the historical configuration, socioeconomic conditions, and gender and ethnic-cultural discrimination in Latin America, as structural causes of inequality |
|
Adrián Escamilla, María Guadalupe Celestino Pérez, Martha Erika Pérez Domínguez, Aldo Rivera Alonso, Laura Itzel Gómez Ramírez, John Mill Ackerman Rose |
University Program of Studies on Democracy, Justice and Society – PUEDJS -UNAM |
Mexico |
Fiscal injustice and extreme inequality: political economy, structural challenges and alternatives for the implementation of wealth taxes in Mexico |
|
Andrea Vanessa Aguirre Salas, Lorena Burbano, Heidy Nathaly Mieles Mieles, Jazmín Escúntar |
Latin American Studies Program – PEL/UASB – Simón Bolívar Andean University |
Ecuador |
The penal state in favor of capital in Latin America: Contemporary history of the Ecuadorian penitentiary system as a device for the production of persistent inequality throughout periods of government |
|
Francisco Freitas, Renata Boulos, Vitor Guimarães, Mateo Daniel Munin Prado, Damaris Alicia Astete Marchant, Luz Angela Rojas |
Lauro Campos and Marielle Franco Foundation – FLCMF |
Brazil |
Neoliberalism and cities: the inequalities in fight by direitos in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia |
This ruling is irrevocable and cannot be appealed.
Buenos Aires, July 31, 2023
