Abstract

During the 1990’s Argentina was at the forefront of one of the most important privatization processes in the Western world. This breaking down of the old, post-war Intervention State began in the 1980’s when this state was in clear decline. The purpose of this paper is to explore the first privatization attempts which -unlike the following privatizations- caused great conflicts among the political leaders and the organized labor movement. This study focuses on a state-owned, water and sewerage company in Argentina; this company begins its decentralization during the studied years and it is privatized in the following years.

Key words: Privatization process, political struggle, democracy, dictatorship.