NEOLIBERALISM AND SOCIAL POLICIES - THOUGHTS ON EXPERIENCES IN LATIN-AMERICA

This article analyses the neoliberal conceptions with regard to social policies which have inspired much of the current proposals for welfare reforms in Latin America. After introducing the main thesis as they were elaborated by thinkers like Milton Friedman, the article examines recent changes within this body of thought. In its second part, the article traces some suggestive paralels between the reforms advocated by neoliberals and those advanced by their critics, focusing on the basic income question and the proposals of descentralization and focalization of social programs.