The political economy of the São Paulo Forum

Abstract

The São Paulo Forum is an entity that brings together left-wing parties and organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean, founded on the initiative of the Workers' Party (Brazil) and the Communist Party of Cuba. The general aim of this article is to identify the existence of a “political economy” of the São Paulo Forum, understood as an interpretation of capitalism in the world and in Latin America and the Caribbean, with emphasis on the analysis of imperialism and neoliberalism, as well as the alternatives that the region can adopt. The specific objective is to analyze the Final Statements issued by the Foro de SP meetings, with emphasis on the document Our America's Consensus, drawn up in 2017 by the organization. Our hypothesis is that the document aims to conceive a minimum theoretical corpus for the Foro de São Paulo, serving as a strategic and programmatic guideline for the region's lefts in the face of global and regional events following the 2008 crisis, and is therefore an expression of its “political economy”. The methodology used is a content analysis of the final statements of the Foro de São Paulo meetings (1990-2023). The article aims to contribute to the academic debate on the role and relevance of the São Paulo Forum as a regional political actor, in order to understand the dynamics and dilemmas of the left in Latin America and the Caribbean in the 21st century.