The Debate on Intermediation in Care Policies in Argentina: Between Clientelism and Participation

Abstract

This paper analyzes the debate on intermediation in the management of social care policies at the national level in Argentina. We argue that the theoretical debate and public discussion have been structured in dichotomous perspectives: one that defines it in terms of clientelist practice and another that considers it a modality of genuine community participation. For this purpose, we examine the trajectory and management structure of two programs: food programs and early childhood policies, emphasizing the transformations that have occurred since the assumption of libertarian government. This study concludes, based on a variety of primary and secondary sources, that the effective development of these policies is closer to a participatory governance model, where responsibility is distributed among multiple actors in the production of the common good, in a critical field of intervention in vulnerable territories, overcoming the simplistic and polarized vision of the initial debate.