Acceso usuarios
Juan Carlos Torre
Los programas de ajuste econmico y reforma estructuraladoptados por las democracias emergentes de Amrica Latina hanpuesto en duda la tesis prevaleciente en la dcada de 1970 que asociabala capacidad de emprender cambios de poltica a largo plazo con autori-tarismo. Las emeriencias recientes sugieren que la habilidad de lasnuevas lites para realizar transformaciones en poltica econmica hatenido quevercon dos factores: laprofundidaddelacrisis alacuallasreformas respondieron, y la capacidad de los presidentes de movilizarmayoras legislativas por medio del control del propio partido o medianteacuerdos conotrasfuerzas polticas. Apartirdelestudiodecuatrocasos-Bolivia, Argentina, Brasil y Mxico-, este artculo argumenta que laemergencia econmica la que se formularon los programas de ajuste,junto con la naturaleza predencial de los regmenes latinoamericanos,pmpicamnunestilodedecsin?rertementecentradoenelejecutivoyensus poderes discrecionales. Concluye que esta modalidad decisoria no esun fenmeno novedoso, sino parte de una herencia muchoms persistente que las polticas y programas gubernamentales.
The economic adjustment and structural reform programsadopted by the emerging democracias of Latin America have questio-ned the prevailing thesis in the 1970s that related the capacity toundertake long-term political changes with authoritarism. Recentexperiences suggests that the new elite's ability to perform changesin economic policies has to do with two factors: the depth of the crisisthese reforms responded to, and the president's capacity to movilzelegislativa majorities through the control of his own party orthrough agreements with other political forces. From the study of fourcases - Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico -, this article arguesthat the economic emergency in which the adiustment programs wereformulated, as well as the presidential nature of Latin Americanregimes brought about a decision-making style, strongly based on theexecutive and on his discretional powers. Nevertheless, this decision-making modality does not constitute a new phenomenon; rather, it ispart of an institutional heritage, much more persitent than thegovemmental policies and programs.
