“State” Corporatism in Latin America: A Decades Back Historical Reminder

Corporatism as an ideology has a relatively long history. In its modern forms, however, as a particular ideal-typical institutional arrangement for linking the associationally organized interests of civil society with the state, in particular with reference to its variety as regards, generally defined, antiliberal, delayed capitalist, authoritarian states, preeminently in Latin America, it has emerged and developed mainly through the second half of the twentieth century. This paper will basically dwell on historical, theoretical, and institutional examination and evaluation of that variety of modern corporatism, which has come to be labelled, almost unanimously, as “state” corporatism, concluding with a critical assessment. This reminder, made through the mentioned studies emphasized, will reveal the rich literature on corporatism and analyze the points underlying the definition of “scattered intellectual kitchen.” As a dimension of the analysis in question, it will focus on different corporatist samples and discuss the corporatist model in Latin America with its aspects and orientations within the framework of these samples.