Mercosur’s human and social dimension

from institutionalization to emptying

Abstract

From the beginning of the 2000s onwards, Mercosur experienced a rise in a political, social, and human dimensions interpretation that resulted in the proliferation of institutional mechanisms to answer to the demands of organized civil society and to overcome the historic democratic deficit resulting from institutionalization centered on its member States’ Executive powers. In Mercosur’s 30^th anniversary, we resort to historical analysis to understand the current limitations of its social agenda and the movements for the construction of institutions that expand the themes of regionalism in the Southern Cone and decentralize its decision-making process. This analysis will focus on two key moments, emphasizing situational characteristics that constitute them. First, it will explore the period of the growth of the social agenda in Mercosur, marked by the construction of strong social institutionalization, social participation, and political convergence, coming to be characterized as a post-hegemonic regionalism moment. The second moment is marked by the financial crisis in the bloc and the replacement of its agenda priorities, highlighting the challenges faced by these institutions and their strategies for maintaining their activities. In this sense, we analyze the conjuncture of the social, human, and participative theme in Mercosur, focusing on the dynamics of the structures constituted in the last two decades, such as the Mercosul Social Institute (ISM), the Social Participation Unit (UPS) and the Social Summits.