Conflito, consenso, democracia e capitalismo em estados periféricos : o processo de privatização do setor elétrico no Brasil e na Argentina

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2009

RESUMO

This thesis analyzes the political and economical arguments that furnished a broad consensus for the implementation of the structural adjustments in the 1990s, amongst them the privatization programme of the electrical energy sector in Brazil and Argentina. It is considered whether the restructuring of the electric section accomplished the presuppositions on which the privatizations were based, such as the introduction of competitive mechanisms in the electrical energy industry and regulation by price-ceiling, in order to introduce efficiency into the sector and limit charge increases. In analysing the creation of the consensus the following social groups were favoured: entrepreneurs, trade unions and the national legislatures in Brazil and Argentina. The formation of a consensus in the two countries was decisive in the implementation of the structural adjustments associated to the privatizations of public patrimony to the private sector. Given the characteristics of that consensus wherby the subordinate class regards neoliberalism as natural and shares the values of the intellectual dominance and moral gramsciana make up of the hegemony within the dominant class that is at the same time, economica cultural and political. The historical block that is in power does not resort purely and simply to ideological manipulation but rather articulates a conjunction of social groups around it based on an all-inclusive and universal vision of the world. Relating directly to the electrical energy sector, the behaviour of the public and private entities that constitute the sector is studied. It was verified that the implantation of competition in the different productive stages of the industry (generation, transmission, distribution and commercialization) happened through the introduction of artificial mechanisms to simulate competition. The electrical energy sector of the two countries is characterized by a hidrothermic matrix, interconnected throughout the country and a natural monopoly of the productive stages. These intrinsic characteristics of the sector demand coordination of activities to the detriment of competition as the operation is inherently monopolistic. In order to adapt to the market model implanted in the 1990s distortions were created that led to higher costs of the system that impacted on tariffs and also in energy supply shortfalls causing energy cuts as happened in Argentina in 1999 and energy rationing in Brazil in 2001. As regards the behaviour of the regulatory agencies in approving revisions of charges by electrical power concessionary companies to the consumer, it can be said that the efficiency that the private sector would bring to the system has not translated into lower tariffs, contray to the theory of regulation by incentives in the sector. Tariffs, under the aegis of price-ceiling regulation, grew more than the cost of living indicators rather than less as foreseen during the privatizations.

ASSUNTO(S)

setor elétrico electrical energy sector hegemony democracy democracia regulação por incentivo estado hegemonia consenso privatizações consensus privatizations regulation by incentive state ciencias sociais aplicadas

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