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Bucknell University Bucknell Digital Commons Honors Theses Student Theses Spring 2012 Challenges of the Cooperative Movement In Addressing Issues of Human Security In the Context of a Neoliberal World: the Case of Argentina Stefan Ivanovski Bucknell University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.bucknell.edu/honors_theses Part of the International Business Commons, and the International Economics Commons Recommended Citation Ivanovski, Stefan, "Challenges of the Cooperative Movement In Addressing Issues of Human Security In the Context of a Neoliberal World: the Case of Argentina" (2012). Honors Theses. 115. https://digitalcommons.bucknell.edu/honors_theses/115 This Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses at Bucknell Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of Bucknell Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Challenges of the Cooperative Movement in Addressing Issues of Human Security in the Context of a Neoliberal World: The Case of Argentina by Stefan Ivanovski A Thesis Submitted to the Honors Council For Honors in International Relations April 2012 Adviser: Professor Hilbourne A. Watson Co-Adviser: Professor Alejandra Roncallo Honors Council Representative: Professor David Kristjanson-Gural Acknowledgements This thesis would not be possible had it not been for the inspiration that I have received from my family, professors and friends. Unfortunately, I cannot include all the individuals who have either directly or indirectly assisted in the writing process, but I will try to include the most important people. First of all, I would like to thank my parents, Jone and Biserka, and my brother, Nemanja, for always supporting me in all my pursuits and endeavors. I feel truly privileged knowing that my parents and my brother are always behind my decisions. I would also like to thank my honors thesis committee members for their dedication, understanding and constructive comments that really helped me in the writing process. The two classes I have taken with my thesis mentor and academic adviser, Professor Hilbourne A. Watson, have improved my writing and analytical skills as well as have given me the confidence to engage in an extended academic research assignment. Moreover, the critical suggestions that Professor Watson provided to me enhanced my analysis and understanding of the implications of the global actors in the struggle of former employees to recover their workplaces. I would also like to express my gratitude to the honors thesis 2 nd reader, Professor Alejandra Roncallo from the International Relations Department, and the Honors Council representative, Professor David Kristjanson-Gural from the Economics Department, for providing me with constructive comments that strengthened the arguments of the thesis. I cannot forget to mention my best friend who spent countless hours listening to my ideas and thoughts on the thesis. I would like to thank her for all her patience and the support throughout the writing process. Last but not least, I would like to thank the Bucknell community. The idea for this thesis started when I studied abroad in Argentina in the fall of 2010. I wrote a research paper on the worker initiated occupation of workplaces and was intrigued in expanding the research and analyzing the political and economic forces at play in more depth. This is how the idea for the honors thesis was born and I am very glad that I took the opportunity to study abroad. Thank you Bucknell for granting me the privilege to study abroad! ii Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Brief Historical Development of the Worker-recovered Enterprises in Argentina ................... 12 Overview of Chapters ................................................................................................................ 15 CHAPTER 1: Contradictions of Neoliberal Capitalism and its Effects on Human Security ....... 23 Human Security Implications of Globalization of Capitalist Production and Accumulation .... 35 Expansion and Implementation of Neoliberalism...................................................................... 40 CHAPTER 2: The Rise of the Modern Cooperative Movement and its Historical Development within Capitalism .......................................................................................................................... 53 Marxist View of Cooperatives ................................................................................................... 61 The Rise of the Modern Cooperative ......................................................................................... 66 CHAPTER 3: The Historical Development of Cooperatives in Argentina .................................. 88 CHAPTER 4: Crisis of Neoliberalism in Argentina and Responses to the Crisis ........................ 96 Rise of Neoliberalism in Argentina and Degradation of Human Security (1973-present) ........ 96 The Crisis of Neoliberalism in Argentina (1990s-2000s) ........................................................ 101 Argentina’s Constitutional Reform of 1994 ............................................................................ 104 The Embedded State of Polyarchy in Argentina...................................................................... 117 The First Occupations and the Rupture of the National Movement of Recuperated Enterprises (MNER) ................................................................................................................................... 132 The Movement of Worker-recovered Enterprises and its Relations with the State ................. 138 CHAPTER 5: Challenges of Worker-recovered Enterprises in Meeting Human Security Imperatives .................................................................................................................................. 154 Conclusion: Worker-recovered enterprises: a model to follow or an isolated case? .................. 165 The Struggle for an Alternative ............................................................................................... 172 Bibliography: .............................................................................................................................. 176 iii List of Abbreviations ANTA National Association of Self-Managed Workers (Asociación Nacional de Trabajadores Autogestionados) B.A.U.E.N. Buenos Aires National Enterprise ( Buenos Aires Una Empresa Nacional ) CAES The Academic Council of Evaluation and Monitoring (Consejo Académico de Evaluación y Seguimiento ) CDER Documentation Center for the Recovered Enterprises (Centro de Documentación de Empresas Recuperadas ) CEDNICI Centre for Documentation and Research of the Cultures of the Left in Argentina (Centro de Documentación e Investigación de la Cultura de Izquierdas en Argentina ) CELS Center for Legal and Social Studies (Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales ) CEPR Center for Economic and Policy Research CGE General Economic Confederation ( Confederación General Económica ) CGI Infantry Guard Corps (Cuerpo Guardia de Infantería ) CGT General Confederation of Labor ( Confederación General de Trabajo ) CIAJ Collective for Legal Research and Action (Colectivo de Investigación y Acción Jurídica ) CICOPA International Organisation of Industrial, Artisanal and Service Producers’ Co-operatives CNCT National Confederation of Worker Cooperatives (Confederación Nacional de Cooperativas de Trabajo ) Currencies ARS$ (Argentine peso); USD$ (United States dollar); € (Euros); £ (Pound sterling) and ₣ (French frank) ECLAC UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean ECOSOC Economic and Social Council of the UN ECWD Eastern Conference for Workplace Democracy ERT Worker recovered enterprises and factories (e mpresas y fábricas recuperadas por sus trabajadores ) FACTA The Federation of Self-managed Worker Cooperatives in Argentina (Federación Argentina de Cooperativas de Trabajo Autogestionadas ) FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FATF Financial Action Task Force FDI Foreign Direct Investment FECOOTRA Argentine Worker-Cooperative Federation (Federación de Cooperativas de Trabajo ) iv Fed Federal Reserve FLACSO Latin American School of Social Sciences (Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales ) FSB Financial Stability Board GAO Governmental Accountability Office of the US GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade GDP Gross Domestic Product HWC High Wealth Countries ( Allianz report) ICA International Co-operative Alliance IDB Inter-American Development Bank IFI International Financial Institutions ILO International Labor Organization IMF International Monetary Fund INAES National Institute for Social Economy and Partnership of Argentina (Instituto Nacional de Asociativismo y Economía Social ) INDEC National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos de la Nación ) IPE International Political Economy IR International Relations ISI Import-Substitution Industry IYC International Year of Cooperatives LWC Low Wealth Countries ( Allianz report) MCC Mondragon Cooperative Corporation MDG Millennium Development Goals MNER National Movement of Recuperated Enterprises (Movimiento Nacional de Empresas Recuperadas ) MNFRT National Movement of Worker-Recuperated Factories (Movimiento Nacional de Fábricas Recuperadas
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