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9 - Neoliberal Reform of Transport Institutions in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile

The Tortoise Beats the Hare

from Part III - Infrastructural Power: Reform Strategies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 August 2023

By
Katherine Bersch
Edited by
Miguel A. Centeno  and
Agustin E. Ferraro
Miguel A. Centeno
Affiliation:
Princeton University, New Jersey
Agustin E. Ferraro
Affiliation:
Universidad de Salamanca, Spain
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Summary

This chapter analyzes state transportation reforms in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile to explore the far-reaching effects of neoliberal policies and their varied implementation. Neoliberal reforms sought to provide a blueprint for solving fiscal and governance challenges, allowing presidents to concentrate power at the same time. Yet initial efforts often stripped the capabilities of the state to manage subsequent challenges, and progress slowed without the bureaucratic expertise required to solve new problems. In Brazil, a more gradual reform process allowed for rebuilding transportation capabilities over time, but dramatic reform in Argentina triggered counter-reforms in the 2000s. Lacking effective state agencies, Argentine transport fell into disrepair, and a fresh set of dramatic reforms were proposed. Similar patterns can be found elsewhere in Latin America, where the poor quality of infrastructure and transport service can be linked to failed reforms in the 1990s. Notably, Chilean reforms concentrating power in the hands of technocrats left little room for broader planning and citizen input; subsequent attempts to improve transport by raising costs have triggered popular protests. A comparative analysis reveals that comprehensive overhauls pushed through by political will tend to compromise infrastructural power and civil service capabilities in the region, whereas gradual reforms prove more successful.

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State and Nation Making in Latin America and Spain
The Neoliberal State and Beyond
 , pp. 289 - 316
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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