Public services in Latin America and the Caribbean: State, market and disputed rights

Public services in Latin America have been the subject of intense political and social disputes.

Since the 1980s, public utilities in Latin America have undergone profound transformations, closely linked to technological changes, reconfigurations of global capitalism, and the dominance of neoliberal hegemony. During this period, a conceptual shift occurred from the classical notion of public service—characteristic of French law and associated with direct state management, monopoly, and the public interest—toward a conception of public utility closer to US law, which enabled greater private participation. This shift eroded the historical identification between public service, public enterprise, and state ownership, ushering in a period of questioning the state's productive role.

During the 1990s, under the influence of international lending institutions and pro-market structural reforms, a wave of large-scale privatizations unfolded. Latin America became the region that transferred the most state-owned enterprises to the private sector worldwide, although with significant national differences. Argentina stood out for the speed and depth of the process, which encompassed virtually all of its public companies. However, far from a state withdrawal, this stage involved a redefinition of functions: the State retained central roles in sectoral planning, price regulation, the definition of quality and coverage standards, antitrust control, and financing, both through investments and subsidies. Thus, hybrid provision models were consolidated, with mostly public infrastructure and private operation under concession.

At the beginning of the 21st century, amidst economic, social, and political crises in various countries of the region, the privatization models for public services faced strong social and political scrutiny, often linked to problems of access, service quality, and the social sustainability of tariff structures. In this context, several Latin American countries underwent processes of reconfiguration of the state's role in strategic sectors, including strengthening regulation, expanding public intervention, and, in some cases, partially reversing privatizations. However, in most cases, hybrid provision models persisted, highlighting the complexity of the relationships between the state, service providers, regulatory bodies, financial actors, and users.

In the most recent phase, public enterprises in strategic sectors coexist in the region with a strong presence of private firms inherited from structural reforms. This scenario reignites debates about the risks and potential of each form of ownership: on the one hand, the tensions associated with public management in contexts of fiscal constraints and heterogeneous state capacities; on the other, the limitations of private management when the logic of profitability clashes with the objectives of universal access and social equity. Furthermore, the democratization of public services through citizen participation remains an outstanding challenge.

In this sense, defining the role of public service companies appears less as a technical decision than as a political choice linked to the development model and the social order that is being pursued. Understanding these dynamics is fundamental for analyzing the processes of democratization, development, and social justice in Latin America. Within this framework, the seminar offers a critical and comparative perspective on public services in the region, providing analytical and methodological tools for researchers, students, and stakeholders involved in the formulation and implementation of public policies.

GENERAL PURPOSE:

To analyze public infrastructure services in Latin America as a strategic field of dispute between the State, the market and citizens, from a critical perspective situated in the region.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:

• Examine the historical transformations in the provision and regulation of public services in Latin America, with emphasis on structural reforms and their impacts.
• Analyze the relationships between the State, service providers and users, considering aspects such as regulation, tariffs, subsidies and state capabilities.
• To explore the role of citizens and social movements in the defense and transformation of public services.
• To provide theoretical and methodological tools for research on public services in Latin American contexts.

• Public infrastructure services: economic characteristics and recent transformations
• Regulation, subsidies and tariffs
• Market, companies and entrepreneurs
• State capacities and the State-business relationship
• Users, citizenship and social rights
• Origins and expansion of public companies in the 20th century
• Privatizations and structural reforms of the late 20th century
• Renationalizations and new formats of state intervention in the 21st century
• Balance sheets, contemporary disputes, and future scenarios

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The basic requirements for taking a seminar are:

• Availability of at least 4 hours per week to dedicate to the seminar course.
• Internet access.
• Reasonable handling of communication and computer tools.
• Language proficiency in the language in which the course will be taught. The official languages ​​are Spanish and Portuguese.

The seminars last 10 weeks, plus the completion of a final project. A total of 90 hours of dedication will be credited.

A course consists of ten classes, each accompanied by required reading bibliography, supplementary bibliography, discussion forums and training activities proposed by the teaching team, partial deliveries and a final project.
The course is online and asynchronous. Some instructors may propose synchronous activities. In those cases, the time and date will be agreed upon beforehand between the instructors and the students to ensure everyone's participation. Attendance at synchronous sessions is not mandatory.
To pass the seminar, you must participate in at least 80% of the discussion forums and activities proposed by the teachers, have completed the scheduled partial deliveries, and pass the final work.

The possible payment methods are by credit card or bank transfer.