ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the political implications of the neoliberal experiment inaugurated in Argentina by President Carlos Menem in 1989. The macroeconomic and social restructuring currently under way will certainly have a major impact not only on the country's economic performance but also on its political system and the stability of its democratic institutions as well. Menem's economic policies are essentially aligned with the recommendations sponsored by the so-called Washington Consensus. The Menem government launched its "market-oriented" and neoliberal reforms without requesting or consulting the opinion of any interest group outside the economic elite. One of the most salient features of the Argentine case is that the massive overhaul of the economy carried out under Menem's auspices failed to unleash a lively public policy debate. Menem's conversion to ardent neoliberalism was a godsend for the ruling classes, for he was elected to implement a program exactly the opposite of the one he finally adopted.
