New Latin American networks of solidarity?

Abstract

The term ‘network’ has become prominent in many areas of public policy, including international development and global social policy. In these subject areas it is generally used to refer to the mechanisms by which those levels of governance that extend beyond the state can transmit influence and ideas, exercising power and shaping economic, political and social change. This article explores the role played by the Latin American solidarity network represented by ALBA in Bolivia’s National Development Plan, particularly in the areas of health and education. The article argues that ALBA offers a new perspective from which to understand this process of international solidarity, its effects in Bolivia’s development and the creation of a new post-neoliberal paradigm in human development.