Masters Theses

Date of Award

5-2009

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Sociology

Major Professor

Paul Gellert

Committee Members

Harry F. Dahms, Jon Shefner

Abstract

The deteriorating societal conditions that have accompanied the implementation of the neoliberal model in Latin America have been well documented. This analysis draws heavily on this work to identify the emergence of de-industrialization, displacement of food production, exclusion of basic human services, and excessive unemployment following the application of neoliberal reform. Such ill effects have ushered in a strong anti-neoliberal current that has opened up new spaces for discussion and debate about alternative development models for the region. Perhaps the most radical alternative to emerge is the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA). ALBA’s architects have been explicit in their denunciation of neoliberalism and insist that ALBA is an alternative that has been designed to rectify the ills associated with neoliberal reform. The following analysis examines ALBA as an alternative idea and practice of development. The following analysis examines the ways in which ALBA is formulated as an abstract alternative to neoliberalism and highlights the concrete policies and projects that distinguish it from the defining aspects of the neoliberal model.

Files over 3MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "save as..."

Included in

Sociology Commons

Share

COinS