Social Policy Reforms in Latin America: Urgent but Frustrating

2011 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 226-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan M. Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Policy Reforms

Has Social Policy Expansion in Latin America Reduced Welfare Decommodification and Defamilialisation? Evidence from an Overview of the Mexican Welfare Regime

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 645-659
Author(s):  
Ricardo Velázquez Leyer
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Social Insurance ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Welfare Regime ◽  
Regime Theory ◽  
Policy Reforms ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Design And Implementation

Mexican social policy has been transformed in recent years with the introduction and expansion of social assistance programmes, causing a diversion from the trajectory based on social insurance since the first decades of the twentieth century. This article aims to understand the outcomes of that transformation, by applying welfare regime theory to establish how social policy reforms have affected the distribution of welfare responsibilities among the state, markets and families. The research identifies (de)commodification and (de)familialisation outcomes of policy changes in pensions, healthcare, unemployment and family support. Results suggest that the expansion has not produced significant reductions in decommodification or defamilialisation because of: a) the explicit or implicit role assigned to markets in policy design and implementation, and b) the reliance of the process of economic liberalisation on the welfare role performed by families. The case of Mexico may illustrate the current welfare challenges faced by societies across Latin America.

Social Policies and Center-Right Governments in Argentina and Chile

2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (03) ◽  
pp. 72-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Niedzwiecki ◽  
Jennifer Pribble
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Executive Branch ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Cash Transfers ◽  
Policy Reforms ◽  
Left Turn ◽  
The Past ◽  
Poverty And Inequality ◽  
Left Party ◽  
Spending Cuts

AbstractLatin America's “left turn” expanded cash transfers and public services, contributing to lower poverty and inequality. Recently, right-leaning candidates and parties have begun to win back seats in the legislature, and in some cases have captured the executive branch. This shift has sparked debate about the future of Latin America's welfare states. This article analyzes social policy reforms enacted by two recent right-leaning governments: that of Sebastián Piñera in Chile (2010–14) and Mauricio Macri in Argentina (2015–). It finds that contrary to neoliberal adjustment policies of the past, neither Macri nor Piñera engaged in privatization or deep spending cuts. Instead, both administrations facilitated a process of policy drift in some sectors and marginal expansion in others. Policy legacies and the strength of the opposition help to explain these outcomes, suggesting that Latin America's political context has been transformed by the consolidation of democracy and the experience of left party rule.

scholarly journals The Politics of Health Care Reforms in Kenya and their Failure

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Künzler
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Current Literature ◽  
Theoretical Explanation ◽  
Policy Reforms ◽  
Health Care Reforms ◽  
Health Reforms ◽  
Free Health Care

The current literature on the politics of social policy has two major shortcomings: health care reforms are undertheoretized and research on Anglophone Africa tends to neglect health reforms. To tackle this, a case study on Kenya presents (failed) re-forms such as universal or categorical free health care or the introduction of health insurance and the expansion of its coverage. The case study clearly shows that there is no single theoretical explanation of social policy reforms or their failure. Rather, there are different combination of factors at work in Kenya.

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