Tracing the origins of the Costa Rican (neo) liberalism. The influence of the Asociación Nacional de Fomento Económico (ANFE) as an intellectual center 1970-1990

Abstract

This article analyzes the political influence of the Asociación Nacional de Fomento Económico (ANFE), a self-defined defender of liberalism and seeks the promotion of the business and the contraction of Welfare State, in the decade of 1980. The main objective is to point out the consolidation of neoliberal thought in Costa Rica, highlight some of their ideas and describe its political role. The role played by his writings in the press and conferences sponsored by USAID offered in the 1980’s as well as a brief review of their ideologues is also resumed. To make this work we resorted to text analysis and historical reconstruction of stages of the Association. In the theoretical aspects are taken into consideration the principles of Gramsci and intellectuals. The main sources correspond to newspaper reports, brochures and other texts emanating from the same organization. Among the key findings, one can cite the success of ANFE was temporary and limited to a few years; and it was maximized by the interests of foreign financial entities. It is also clear that certain factions of the economic elite were the biggest supporters of this neoliberal discourse.