Politicised Provision: Development and Welfare under Latin America's New Left

Latin America has in recent decades witnessed a dramatic political shift to the left. Numerous leftist political parties have achieved and retained power, primarily through the ballot box, in what scholars have described as a "Pink Tide" sweeping the continent. Central to the political platforms of many of these governments have been a range of novel social programs and welfare initiatives oriented towards the most disadvantaged members of society. In a continent where inequality remains staggeringly high, these forms of poverty-reduction program have been a central basis of the popularity achieved by the governments of the 'new left'.
Despite the centrality of these social programs to the political projects of 'new left' governments, we know little about how they are understood and experienced by the people at whom they are targeted. Much has been written about the policies and politics of the 'new left', but this commentary has often been polarised and contradictory. For some, the emergence of redistributive social programs after a period of neoliberalism has been welcomed and celebrated, and measurable improvements in well-being among impoverished beneficiaries have been emphasised. For others, the programs appear to be bound up with a rising tide of populism that threatens to undermine democracy and weaken liberal institutions across the continent; trends which are understood to be contrary to the interests of the poor majority.
Focusing on the Nicaraguan case, this fellowship aims to move beyond these polarised debates by exploring the perspective of the people whose lives these social projects affect most directly. Because one thing is clear: it is not just scholars who express strong feelings about this range of highly-politicised social programs. Participants themselves (along with potential participants) hold powerful opinions regarding the value and purpose of the projects. Indeed, in many of the countries which comprise the 'Pink Tide', the projects have become a focal point for intense political activity among the rural and urban poor. Based upon close ethnographic study of the experiences of project beneficiaries, the fellowship will seek to promote understanding of how these intense political hopes and aspirations invested in the social projects of the new left impact upon their successes and failures.
The key idea to be pursued here is that there is much to be gained from understanding the ways in which welfare provision overlaps with the forms of political subjectivity revealed by close ethnographic investigation. If participants in 'new left' social projects invest those programs with powerful desires for political inclusion and recognition as citizens, understanding why projects have the results they do requires that this complex dynamic be understood and taken into account. By making steps in this direction, the fellowship aims to promote the improvement of the design, delivery and evaluation of 'new left' social welfare programs in Nicaragua and beyond.