The world community is in a prolonged crisis with drastic changes that produce harmful effects in vast sectors of society on the planet.
Latin America not only is not exempt from this phenomenon, but the paradox lives on the one hand, given by the orientation of market economic forces and transnational business that generate growth in these sectors thanks to the advancement and widespread use of technology, on the other hand, dissatisfaction with social demands, which gave them answer before the State, through the policies of their governments, some time ago has abandoned its historical role, allowing it to be the market-or maybe leaving it in his hands on purpose, the resolve in his own way all of these issues.
As a result of all this, we have generated a number of situations, such as the widening gap between rich layer and the poorest, a poverty growth rates historically unknown, inconceivable growth of unemployment generated by bad policy drawn in privatization and indiscriminate firing generated by new business owners in search of profits with low cost, a growing indebtedness of the State through their governments, increasingly less representative Yque no longer respond to society but to the economic forces dominant beyond handling the parameters of governance, has assumed the cost of private debt as well.
GOVERNANCE OR SOCIAL abstracted from
gobernabilidadcomprende The concept of parameters such as efficiency also legitimidady.
The legitimidadestá given, first by popular vote, which in most cases, is caught in a misleading way, from speeches to social dimension, but it is never implemented because the parties entering the obey the government "ruling ideology, neoliberalism, which leaves all the answers in the hands of market forces, on the other, by strength of authoritarian governments or de facto electoral dictatorships were managed with "customers." In Latin America, usually have both types, and that both from the legal standpoint, as the capacity and political culture of civil society, there is virtually "participation."
efficiency, is more concerned with doing things in terms of economic profitability for the benefit of business and banking sectors, which seek to ensure "legal certainty", which is not given to workers or the unemployed, the retired , deceived consumers, etc.-to their investments, that the resolution of issues social discourses are mentioned in the party, but never implemented because the state is forbidden to intervene in these cases.
Thus, the gobernabilidadtiene to do with maintaining order in the interest of cost efficiency, regardless of the representativeness of those who govern, at least formal representation achieved through the electoral act by promising the people that are certainly not met. It is closer to the political struggle for power than solving the country's problems.
The continuing concern for governance, whenever they occur demonstrations of dissent, has more to do with expectations about how markets react to this type of "disorder" that is, if the investor will stay, it will or will not choose us, and not to solve the country's problems, for example, using domestic savings rather than relying on capital abroad.
The degree of governance is more given by actors, factors and external pressures on domestic factors.
ECONOMIC MODELS OF IMITATION
In the quest to achieve profitability and make putting the country in positions of "eligibility" for investors, through the parameters set by the "rating" transnational "country risk" leadership Latin America seeks to imitate Asian economic models based on low cost of labor, complementing everything with the acquisition of new technology by the privatized companies, which means greater efficiency, profitability and productivity gains from reducing of labor, creating massive unemployment and underemployment increased.
Asian Economic models were made from countries that do not, the vast majority of raw materials and many have or had authoritarian governments, while Latin America has all sorts of natural resources, minerals and food strategic and nonstrategic.
is wasted what you have and tries to build models from which for other scarce and spare us but we allow others, or cross-operating governments. Charismatic Leadership
This situation generates despair and confusion in much of the population that continues to vote for a leadership that promises to solve the growing social problems, from political, necessarily maintaining the economic model adopted, which responds to the prevailing ideology and dominant in the world: neoliberalism.
The result is the aggravation of social problems and the insistence by political leaders, advised (?) By sectors entrepreneurs and their "econometricians", that it should continue with the course and taking the measures of "deregulation" social and labor to the market, from the growth of the economy, end "shedding" the necessary welfare for the population that, for nothing must be made again by the State, failing to return to the old days, say those who support the ideology of inefficiency.
In this way, society, rather than actively participate in shaping their own destiny, is submerged in the intermediation paternalistic charismatic leaders who promise "favors" social, as is a gift, in exchange for votes.
This "social irrationality" is maintained not only fueled by false promises, but also for those gifts, which respond to current situations that leave in accordance with the applicants, those who give, on the other hand, affirmative answer to the call for support election, lower levels of social pressure given by the nonconformity, which could lead to situations of "lawlessness" and eliminate any possibility of generating a participatory social culture abolish these paternalistic practices.
the leader's interest that the education system does not work, or has a low profile while being a mere transmitter of knowledge and no thought and idea generator. This way to maintain control and handles the "magic" of his charismatic leadership that gives favors must be repaid with loyalty.
Today, the link between citizens and their leaders became very fragile.
The population is generally unclear about their own preferences. What the people say within interest groups or opinion polls are often based on views that can change within a short time in front of new events or new arguments. Just know they are wrong, they have shortcomings.
However, the people, especially in developed countries as Europeans, has now discovered the abdication of power by their supposed leaders. Regardless of the election, you can get what he wants, putting into action mass protests, blocking ports and oil refineries and other places. These events are easily arranged them with the help of mobile phones and the Internet. In the case of Latin America makes it through non-governmental groups or organizations or civil society, but not to this degree of effectiveness as in European countries.
The power of leaders reveals increasingly inconsistent. The elections have become a snapshot of the mood passengers. We are immersed in a "democracy electioneering" and non-participatory and representative
1.
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from these situations, lack of representativity of the politicians and parties are an increasingly important element of civil society.
NGO's move as if they were in the place of government or, at least in the Parliament, as an expression of popular will.
examples abound of a new policy by the people through referendum, the "spontaneous demonstrations" or activities of NGOs.
politicians have lost touch with the people. They are unable to recognize changes in the concerns of the population and this is the reason why, though they are not elected, its legitimacy is questioned. At least his representative, as transnational economic and financial powers and international, "legitimize" their support, or "co-optation."
Somehow, the link between citizens and their leaders became increasingly fragile. This is particularly true for political parties, unable to collect the popular opinions and channeled through real leadership. Thus, the opinions of large groups are not only not be heard in official channels, but that persist across the years. Parliament is no longer true tribune 2.
The people, the union leaders who are more concerned about maintaining power that they lost, that to solve the problems of workers and the unemployed or underemployed, in a deep-rooted sociedadcon charismatic, as is the American, are waiting of emergence of a leader to lead the masses towards a better future.
This has created a symbiosis-caudilloque keeps people paralyzed our country, believing that they are strange forces that stop us, not the mediocrity and the spurious interests of the warlords who use the people to rise and remain in power.
Leadership "caudillo" has been positive in times of crisis, major changes or need to achieve independence in the nineteenth century, but then must develop a project from which our country achieve greater integration in the context world while solving the internal problems.
LACK OF LEADERSHIP "RATIONAL"
The education sector, at different levels-preschool, primary, secondary, undergraduate, graduate, "which historically has been treated in a high-exceptions-by the governments of the periphery , also entered within this process, in most Latin American countries through the privatization scheme, under the motto of the search for greater efficiency, weakening, due to new government policies, the education he had sustained, albeit historically messy, the public sector, becoming an "investment risk" assumed by the privadoque sector entered the "business" of education without any controls by the state, as to the quality of education or level educators.
Thus, the quality of education has declined and the primary target, especially in universities private, is that the student pay dues and in return, receive a degree, that will most likely not to perform, since, on one hand, everything is governed by the market, seeking profitability and cost reduction seeks to have the manpower, even the super-specialized or specialized in order to control tightrope, on the other, governments seem not to see the great global changes 3 that have been brewing since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the end of the bipolar system after 1991, so that the market left to the answers to everything, instead of generating mechanisms, especially of educational, to "reconvert" to society, the workforce, so that, progressively, will entering into new parameters dictated by the structural changes that are occurring.
American University, is not future leaders and thinkers, and researchers, but "professionals" to exercise, not to think.
The University does not assume, within budget, the development of research projects.
It rewards those who are going to be perfect or country outside the European and American Universities, returning imbued with a mindset that does not fit with the needs, aspirations or resolution of Latin American issues, attending to their own perspective or from the periphery in general, but with the interests of those countries and educational institutions.
These professionals, trained outside, turn out to be highly trained, but lose their sense of nationality and identity 4 and, above all, national project and / or regional, in exchange for a conviction and loyalty to ideas whose interest is, "View from the" center "-more about the domination of the periphery of foreign aid. These
-American or European institutions, "make use of" globalization "to impose thinking and leadership in the global context and they are succeeding, assisted by the people who go to the "periphery" to form and returns with the conviction that this is the road. Examples are the economic school of "Chicago" a long history in the creation of economic models for Latin America-imposed in an authoritarian manner from military governments, particularly in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, or a professional Harvard to implement his thoughts on the global periphery, Latin America is in the same countries where it also seeks to show its comparative advantages Chicago School, the current Russian Federation and the Asian world.
The science sector, which has always been solitary and has done everything with great effort, and it was assumed, albeit very basic, by the State in Latin America, as the private sector has contributed little or nothing and what it does is own benefit, is also subject to a reduction in the budget and the threat of privatization by government authorities under the pretext of achieving greater efficiency.
striking thing is that this thought is not generated by "Martians" who have invaded us and try to impose their point of view, but by people who emerge from the same society in which we live, but that does not respond to that company but to an ideology imposed by the transnational private sector that bothers a strong state, and other powerful states that require a fragmented periphery, subordinate and subservient and rely on the elite of the periphery that is "functional" to such projects.
has created an impression that much of the peripheral countries are not viable unless they adopt neoliberal policies prescribed by the industrialized world, multilateral organizations they belong to the majority, but are controlled by the weighted vote the most powerful countries and transnational actors, especially firms, pension funds or insurance, and banking.
the absence of a strong creative capacity in the periphery, are finished importing, not just ideology, but also literature and models of thought and action, which are used to train the leadership "or" illustrate "a leader who revels in being ignorant and having the power they receive for having" ties "with the elite of the" center "-that will lead these countries towards a destination that is closer to the interests of the" center "of meeting the demands and needs of the peoples of the periphery.
was generated and entrenched an intellectual or pseudo-intellectuals "mercenary", that profits justify the prevailing ideology or policies the establishment, making significant budget change this behavior servile.
The University has lost the "universality" and has become-especially private-in a "servant" of the interests of power, whether political, economic or financial.
selection systems scholars have almost entirely disappeared. The lectures are given "a finger", in exchange for some "functionality" and identification with the system, regardless of whether or not capacity. No serious or reliable mechanisms to support teachers in their jobs, or to throw them out. I speak of their being required to publish at least one article scientist or a paper per year. There is a divorce between what the professor is that in general, at the University, is a professional who devotes her time to teaching as the professor does not give to live, and the researcher. There is a strong tendency to transfer knowledge to other genres, particularly, in the area of \u200b\u200bsocial sciences in the U.S. or Europe. The same applies to state agencies of scientific, that prevent or punish researchers who have several hours of teaching, encouraging, so a divorce between knowledge generation and dissemination.
In the "knowledge era" Our countries can not continue to rotate around the leadership of popular leaders, but a necessary rationality, in which the village is to function actively participate in building their future.
That comes only with education.
a country where education is not important in the scientific development is weak and lacking support, is subordinate to the government in turn, be they domestic or international. Hard to build their future. Those countries are held in that capacity by domestic groups that benefit from an ignorant and dependent while in other countries and / or external groups that benefit from the dependence on found.
This is the story of the great global periphery.
This-rather than substantive grounds, such as lack of natural resources, is the true cause of dependency.
Against this, the University is not fulfilling the function of "directional leadership." Neither the scientific sector.
rational leadership to charismatic leadership or face "caudilllesco" "should exercise the University and its scientific-technological apparatus.
This, in Latin America, under the banner of privatization to achieve profitability and efficiency, has been weakened by their governments, which often, though it may seem paradoxical and even ridiculous, show greater concern for the economic status of football clubs committed to the social problems or education-and even privatized without making the slightest controls on their operation or service they perform.
Instead of being the Universidadla that hits the streets to provide services to society, business, government, the one that says what to do, where to go, what to decide, say, from a scientific perspective on what are doing and deciding, be generated by research and development models pose, is fully ausentede all this and is limited to producing professionals. Instead of telling the politician what to do, invite dictated by the political classes or give lectures in their cloisters, asking what kind of University intends to or supporting their political positions to obtain favors for his government.
University and scientific institutions are the best remedy, the best investment for building the future of our COUNTRIES AND, however, are the most neglected and more erratic behavior.
Politicians are managed with the arrogance of those who hold power and ignores the knowledge of specialists. They think that because they are informed they know everything. Confused information about what to do. In today's world, any access to information, however, know what to do with it, only he is ready. Driving confuse the masses, with the government.
American University can not afford to let our region remains at the mercy of the warlords so that you get, or that actors such as transnational corporations or private banks are the ones that give direction and life project .
globalization should not be confused with uniformity. Our country, our people need and deserve their own models and, as far as possible, personalized. We can not copy models or external prescriptions and apply it to others or others are good for them.
The University and the scientific sector should be united in the same institution, constitute the "brain" activode society.
If the University fails to comply with the function to be creative, to establish in which direction society should move, loses its reason for being, to become a mere transmitter of knowledge that others generate. In this way, allows our company to continue in stagnation and promote the "magic" of the prevailing ideology is that which gives the answers that knowledge should be given.
If we want change in our society that has suffered such a degradation process inconceivable, beyond the amount of natural resources has, is necessary to make a revolution in terms of structural change. This revolution should start with knowledge about what to do and where to go and must be undertaken and initiated by the educational apparatus.
not assume this responsibility, is to encourage the dependence of our countries and our peoples. That is a betrayal of our own roots who have fought and even died, to free our society of colonialism. NOTES
------------------- (*) Luis DALLANEGRA PEDRAZA a PhD in Political Science and International Relations (Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina). Professor and Reviewer in undergraduate, graduate and doctorate in the country and abroad. Director of the Argentine Center of International Studies (INCS) and Argentina Journal of International Relations, 1977-1981. International Observer Member of the International Committee for Support and Verification CIAV-OAS in the "demobilization" of the guerrillas "against" in Nicaragua, 1990. Director of Doctorate in International Relations, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina, 2002-2005. Research Scientist at the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET). If you want to comment or ask me, write me at: luisdallanegra@netizen.com.ar
(1) See Peter F. Druker, post-capitalist society, (Buenos Aires, Edit. Sudamericana, 1993).
(2) On this subject, see Ralf Dahrendorf. Political scientist. London School of Economics. "Politicians are increasingly away from the people." Copyright Clarín and La Repubblica, 2000. Translation: Free Gonzalez Serra. Tuesday October 3, 2000.
(3) I speak of the structural changes caused by the evolution of science and technology that is transparent and just after the end of the bipolar system based on impervious blocks, not generated by the dominance of neoliberal ideology, although have an impact too.
(4) Very few are returning to the spirit of use their knowledge, adapted to the resolution of local and regional problems, and generally do not manage to enter, and found no response or recognition by public institutions.
