From Economic Crisis to a 'State' of Crisis?: The Emergence of Neoliberalism in Costa Rica

Reinterprets the post-1980s ascent of neoliberalism in Costa Rica by acknowledging the primacy of social classes & the state role in designating & molding middle class conflict, & the consequences of historical class struggle for the state, through alterations in the social relations of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Historical materialism : research in critical Marxist theory 2005-01, Vol.13 (3), p.101-134
Main Author: Marois, Thomas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Class Relations
Class Struggle
Costa Rica
Economic Development
Forces And Relations of Production
Market Economy
Middle Class
Neoliberalism
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Summary:Reinterprets the post-1980s ascent of neoliberalism in Costa Rica by acknowledging the primacy of social classes & the state role in designating & molding middle class conflict, & the consequences of historical class struggle for the state, through alterations in the social relations of production. Against policy-based & "common sense" approaches to neoliberalism it is contended here that neoliberalism is most properly regarded as an historical, class-rooted ideology that holds that all social, political, & ecological dilemmas can be remedied through a more explicit mode of free-market activity. The ascent of Costa Rican neoliberalism articulates both a new type of political hegemony & imperialism, each of which seeks to surmount recurrent obstacles to progressive capital valorization & to reinscribe US power. References. K. Coddon
ISSN:1465-4466
1569-206X
1465-4466
DOI:10.1163/1569206054927671