ILPC 2026

Our job intends to analyze the main subjects regarding the rationality that sustains the last years’ implemented social policy in Argentina, making special emphasis on identifying foundations and particularities of specific self-employment policies from the National Social Development Ministry.
By reading official documents and productions, we intend to advance in our analysis regarding the following plans and programs: Plan de Desarrollo Local, and Economía Social “Manos a la Obra”, “Banco Popular de la Buena Fé” (BPBF), National Micro-Credits Law N° 26117 and Plan Argentina Trabaja. All of these proposals look to promote actions such as self-employment, social monotax, family-based work, working cooperatives, among others stated on the provision of supplies, loans/micro-credits and equipment for implementation of low-scale activities, based in “know-how” skills, which would allow working sectors to generate their own incomes.
Partial results of our research allow us to appreciate how social policy configuration articulates rights ownership and citizenship, with an idea of participation and citizen involvement structured towards a speech of reaching higher autonomy and dignity levels, which actually operates as an actualization of meritocratic logic. This established, over a basis of social problems individuation, and through the mentioned speech’s spirit, subsidies (such as mentioned before) are associated with dependence, a loans/micro-credits are seen as a possibility to people for to overcome their poverty situation with dignity, while it is sustained the need of resignifying employment in its “dignifying” dimension, the value of identity, as well as the subjects’ commitment with themselves and with society.
Employment appears in official speech as the best organizer and social integrator since it would allow people to develop their capabilities, socialize and grow with dignity. As a consequence it constitutes a compulsive action and dictate, and thus, its association to dignity and work-culture, and so, as well, the association of people working insertion with the right to receive any kind of social assistance as necessary components. This logic finds its foundation in the diffusion of a supposed working crisis, associated to the alternative of developing individual abilities for to constitute an own business and think (and live) a life besides market, fomenting self-employment, individual work, remarking and associating such aspects with freedom, independence, etc.; and not considering the stability of a long-term professional career. As an example: unemployment appears associated to educational deficiencies or lack of necessary new competences demanded by the working market, firming up, as a consequence, an individualist understanding where unemployment ceases to be a society general problem, and shows as an exclusive matter of those persons who haven’t invested enough resources on their own education and haven’t made enough effort to guarantee their own means for daily reproduction.