The present article discusses the conditions for the adoption of development strategies in Latin America in the aftermath of neoliberal reforms, focusing specifically on the role of political institutions as a component of productive regimes in selected countries. Development is treated as an endogenous process, shaped over time in terms of trajectories that are continuously redefined according to specific political conjunctures. Having moved from restricted democracies or authoritarian regimes and autarchic economies to mass democracies operating in the context of open economies after market-oriented reforms, persistent structural inequalities presently constitute the major axis framing the definition of development policies. Unlike in advanced countries where the State is treated as an epiphenomenon of the respective productive regimes, in the Latin American semi-periphery the State is the crucial actor for the reversal of vicious circles and negative complementarities stemming from the extreme structural and social inequalities within and between countries in the region. Following a brief discussion on development and economic growth in the definition of the post-neoliberal agenda, the article examines institutional indicators for the economic performance of contemporary government coalitions in selected countries, focusing on State policies favouring development, such as financing, technological innovation, training of the labour force and social policies. Next, we concentrate on analysing political institutions and the role of political elites capable of generating national projects for sustainable development strategies, showing some of the differences between these countries. We conclude with a brief discussion on the adequacy of contemporary political economy approaches to understand processes of capitalist transformation in the periphery, drawing attention to the need for a redefined regional perspective on development issues.

The present article discusses the conditions for the adoption of development strategies in Latin America in the aftermath of neoliberal reforms, focusing specifically on the role of political institutions as a component of productive regimes in selected countries. Development is treated as an endogenous process, shaped over time in terms of trajectories that are continuously redefined according to specific political conjunctures. Having moved from restricted democracies or authoritarian regimes and autarchic economies to mass democracies operating in the context of open economies after market-oriented reforms, persistent structural inequalities presently constitute the major axis framing the definition of development policies. Unlike in advanced countries where the State is treated as an epiphenomenon of the respective productive regimes, in the Latin American semi-periphery the State is the crucial actor for the reversal of vicious circles and negative complementarities stemming from the extreme structural and social inequalities within and between countries in the region. Following a brief discussion on development and economic growth in the definition of the post-neoliberal agenda, the article examines institutional indicators for the economic performance of contemporary government coalitions in selected countries, focusing on State policies favouring development, such as financing, technological innovation, training of the labour force and social policies. Next, we concentrate on analysing political institutions and the role of political elites capable of generating national projects for sustainable development strategies, showing some of the differences between these countries. We conclude with a brief discussion on the adequacy of contemporary political economy approaches to understand processes of capitalist transformation in the periphery, drawing attention to the need for a redefined regional perspective on development issues. reforms process conjunctures marketoriented market oriented semiperiphery semi periphery region postneoliberal post agenda financing innovation Next issues

Este trabalho analisa as dinâmicas dos países latino-americanos na última década, cuja característica distintiva é o enfraquecimento da hegemonia neoclássica e uma retomada de trajetórias de intervenção estatal na economia. A análise está centrada nos vetores constitutivos de uma agenda neo-desenvolvimentista e no papel que o Estado deve desempenhar na retomada do crescimento e do desenvolvimento sustentável. Focaliza-se o papel que o regime político e as instituições de governo cumprem no processo econômico, sugerindo-se que não haveria possibilidade de crescimento e desenvolvimento sem um Estado forte. Diferentes trajetórias constituem a base a partir da qual operam um conjunto similar de intervenções delimitando um campo para a atação de novos governos, cujos instrumentos e margens de ação dependerão de um conjunto de características institucionais e de contexto que pautam a governabilidade e, em última análise, a natureza das políticas econômicas.

This work analyzes the dynamics of the Latin-American countries in the last decade, which distinctive characteristic is the weakness of the neoclassical hegemony and a retaking of state intervention trajectories in the economy. The analysis is centered in the constituent vectors of a neo-developmentist calendar and in the role that the State should carry out in the retaking of growth and of sustainable development. In focus are the roles that the political regime and government institutions accomplish in the economical process, with the suggestion that there would be no possibility of growth and development without a strong State. Different trajectories constitute the base from which a similar group of interventions operate delimiting a field for the attraction of new governments, which instruments and action margins will depend on a group of institutional characteristics and of context that rule governability and, in last analysis, the nature of the economical policies.

Ce travail analyse les dynamiques des pays latino-américains au cours de la dernière décennie dont la caractéristique spécifique est l'affaiblissement de l'hégémonie néo classique ainsi que la reprise de trajectoires d'intervention de l'état dans l'économie. L'analyse se concentre sur les vecteurs constitutifs de compromis néo développementistes et sur le rôle que l'Etat doit jouer pour la reprise de la croissance et du développement soutenable. On y focalise le rôle que le régime politique et les institutions du gouvernement assument au niveau du processus économique. Il semblerait ne pas y avoir de croissance possible ni de développement sans un Etat fort. Diverses trajectoires constituent la base à partir de laquelle un ensemble similaire d'interventions opère en délimitant un champ d'action capable d'attirer de nouveaux gouvernements dont les instruments et les marges de manoeuvre dépendront d'un ensemble de caractéristiques institutionnelles et d'un contexte capables d'orienter la gouvernabilité et, en dernière analyse, la nature des politiques économiques.