IV ISA Forum of Sociology (February 23-28, 2021)

237

Social Policy and Right Wing Parties

Abstract Submissions Closed

RC19 Sociology of Poverty, Social Welfare and Social Policy (host committee)

Language: Spanish and English

Session Type: Oral

Since 2015, many Latin American countries elected right wing presidents, making it crucial to understand the role of right parties in social policy-making. In the context of the commodity boom, in the 2000s Latin American countries significantly expanded social policy in terms of coverage, benefits, expenditure and, even in some cases, quality, both at the national and subnational levels. While some countries were under left-wing administrations (such as Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay), expansion also took place under right governments. In Mexico and Colombia, in particular, right wing parties expanded conditional cash transfers and health services. This pattern of social policy expansion under right-to-the-center governments contrasts dramatically with existing evidence that shows that social policy retrenchment is more likely to occur under right wing governments. This session analyzes the ways in which right wing parties engage in social policy reform through the following questions. What is the effect of right wing partisanship on social policy? Are expansion and/or retrenchment likely to occur under right wing governments? What type of social policies, strategies, and areas are favored by right wing governments? This session welcomes theoretical and empirical analyses that use qualitative, quantitative and/or mixed methodologies.