Project overview
Principal investigator: Dr Ana C. Dinerstein
Project abstract: Abstract as a pdf document| (PDF)
Report on ESRC website|
News
Stage 2: (February 2008 - December 2008)
Non Governmental Public Action and the project of Autonomy in Latin America. A comparative analysis of social movements in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil & Mexico - ESRC Programme Non Governmental Public Action - RES 155- 25-0007, CSC, LSE
The NGPA taken by the UWOs are part of an extremely rich 'repertoire' of actions that emerged in the last fifteen years in the Latin American region mainly as a response to the effects of neoliberal globalisation. The initial research proposal anticipated the need for comparison in objectives 4 (to contribute more broadly to debates on NGPA and welfare in other Latin American countries) and 7 (to provide a new body of knowledge for use in further comparative work in Latin America).
The comparative research will contribute to the overall objectives of the NGPA programme.
It will focus on NGPA and ORGANISATIONAL INNOVATION, AUTONOMY AND INSTITUTIONAL PATH CREATION in LATIN AMERICA. The project will draw on three new case studies:
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The Coordinadora en Defensa del Agua y de la Vida de Cochabamba, Bolivia;
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The Movimiento Zapatista, altos de Chiapas, Mexico and
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the Movimento dos trabalhadores rurais sem terra (MST) Brazil.
Output: NGPA Research Paper
Outputs
Publications
Forthcoming
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Dinerstein, A.C. (forthcoming 2007) 'Lessons from a Journey: the Piquetero Movement in Argentina' in Bonefeld, W. (ed) Subverting the Present- Imagining the Future: Insurrection, Movement, Commons, Autonomedia, New York
In preparation
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Dinerstein AC. et al: 'Reemplazando al gobierno/estado, al sindicato o al partido político? La naturaleza multidimensional de las organizaciones de trabajadores desocupados en Argentina' ['Replacing the government, the union and the party? The multi dimensional nature of the Organisations of Unemployed Workers in Argentina].
Research papers
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Dinerstein, Ana C 2005 'The Politics of Policy. Unemployment, Unemployed Workers Organisations and Employment Policy Reforms in Argentina' (1991-2007).
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Dinerstein, Ana C , Contartese, D and Deledicque M 'Reemplazando al gobierno/estado, al sindicato o al partido político? La naturaleza sui géneris de las organizaciones de trabajadores desocupados en Argentina'
Background publications
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Dinerstein, A.C. (2002) 'Regaining Materiality: Unemployment and the Invisible Subjectivity of Labour' in Dinerstein, A.C. and M. Neary The Labour Debate: An Investigation into the Theory and Reality of Capitalist Work, Aldershot/Burlington: Ashgate.
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Dinerstein, A.C. (2003) Power or Counter Power? The dilemma of the Piquetero Movement in Argentina post crisis Capital & Class 81: 1-7 (Journal Article in English)
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Dinerstein, A.C. (2001) 'Roadblocks in Argentina', Capital & Class no 74, CSE, London: 1-7.
Dissemination to target audience
Please find document, photos, posters and other material on the project's web page|.
In Argentina
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Three local workshops to discuss disseminate findings with non academic users will be organised in Neuquén (MTD) and La Matanza (FTV) in July 2007. Dissemination in General Mosconi (UTD) took place in August 2006
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One-day Seminar: 'Lessons from a journey: The Unemployed Workers Movement in Argentina 10 years on' will take place on 22 August, at 18.00 hours in the Cultural Centre for Cooperation, Avenue Corrientes 1543 (C1042AAB) Buenos Aires, Argentina. Participants included colleagues from academia, journalism as well as representatives from the organisations of the unemployed workers, other social organisations and governmental actors. In addition to the ESRC Non Governmental Public Action Programme and the Centre for Civil Society, LSE (UK), the event is sponsored by:
Herramienta
The Institute for Economic Development (IADE) and the Journal Realidad Economica
Department of Political Economy and World System, the Cultural Centre for Cooperation
Interdisciplinary Centre for the Study of Public Policy (Ciepp)
Attendance at conferences
UK
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Paper presented at the 2005 Conference of the UK Social Policy Association 'Well being and Social Justice', University of Bath, 27-29 June.
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Paper presented at the 2006 Policy & Politics International Conference "Reconnecting Policy and Politics' 6-7 July, University of Bristol, UK
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Paper presented at the 2007 Conference of WES (Work, Employment and Society) 'Unemployed Workers Identity in Argentina. 'Piqueteros', between Resistance and Integration' University of Aberdeen, 12-14 September
Europe
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Convenor for the Symposium: 'The Political, Social and Economic Impact of Non-Governmental Public Action in Latin America' V CEISAL Congress of Latin Americanists to be held in Brussels on April 11-14 2007.
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Paper presented at the Symposium: 'The Political, Social and Economic Impact of Non-Governmental Public Action in Latin America' V CEISAL Congress of Latin Americanists to be held in Brussels on April 11-14 2007.
(see symposium and papers)
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Participant at Images of Research exhibition at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution on 15 July 2009. Entry entitled The Snail and Good Government (La Realidad, Chiapas, Mexico, 2008)
Latin America
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Paper will be presented at the ASET conference (Asociacion de Estudios del Trabajo) in August 2007, Buenos Aires
Project images
Aims and objectives of the research
The aim of this research is to generate knowledge about the non governmental public action taken by three organisations of the unemployed in Argentina (OU), with regards to: (i) their commitment with autonomous community work for the unemployed and disadvantaged sectors of society (ii) their mobilisation and networking capacity, and joint action with labour organisations and (iii) their participation in and influence/impact on the design and management of social policies and employment programmes at the national and local levels. Further objectives are: (i) to contribute to wider theoretical debates about the relationship between unemployment, collective action and welfare policy in Argentina, and other Latin American countries; (ii) to provide research knowledge, produced written outputs and support to initiatives of the organisations of the unemployed, trade unions and policy makers
Key research questions and methods
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What is the organisational structure, resources and forms of affiliation, mobilisation and networking capacity of the OUS?
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What are the projects aiming at poverty reduction and in what ways are they contributing to the recomposition of the social fabric in local communities?
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What are the forms of impact, influence on, and participation in policy making?
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How do current theoretical debates on the relationship between unemployment, collective action and welfare policy inform the Argentine case? What are the implications that they have for an understanding of other Latin American cases?
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Do OUs have a role in the politics of unemployment in present day Argentina by articulating both the creation of autonomous spaces of social interaction and constructive engagement with policy makers?
The research will use:
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material produced by OUs and trade unions (videos, publications; projects, research reports, demands, press releases, pamphlets);
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economic reports and statistics, official documents, ministerial plans and social policies, employment programmes, projects, publications with particular focus on the national level and the three geographical areas selected.
Primary resources will be obtained by means of:
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semi-structured interviews with leaders of the organisations selected, trade union leaders from central confederations and local unions, senior government functionaries at local and national levels;
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participant observation at meetings and ad hoc activities among participants of the three organisations selected, among trade union members/leaders and among policy makers as well as among the three parties;
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focus group discussions with participants in the organisations selected.
Relation to the programme
The project is framed by the impact of the neo-liberal reforms of the 1990s on the social structures, collective action and the state. The project will contribute to (i) strengthen links between researchers and users in the UK and in developing countries encouraging North/South collaboration. (ii) build theory and reflect on current conceptualisations that link unemployment and related poverty, collective action and welfare policy. (iii) strengthen engagement of non academic users in the research process and the dissemination of research results
Relevance of this research to user groups
The knowledge generated by this research will have an impact (i) on the OUs and trade unions in Argentina to better grasp the significance of the work of the OUs and the challenges they face; (ii) on practitioners to envisage more effective ways of addressing the needs of the unemployed and disadvantaged sectors of society; (ii) on longer term non-governmental public action and policy making across Latin America.
Project website
Please see the pages on the University of Bath| website.
Contact details
Dr Ana C Dinerstein
Department of Social and Policy Sciences
Centre for Analysis of Social Policy & Institute for International Policy Analysis
University of Bath
Claverton Down
Bath BA2 7AY
tel: + 44 (0)1225 38 6958
fax: +44 (0)1225 38 6381
email: A.C.Dinerstein@bath.ac.uk|