The political economy and the programme of the São Paulo Forum

Abstract

The São Paulo Forum is an organization that brings together left-wing parties and organizations from Latin America and the Caribbean, founded at the initiative of the Workers’ Party (Brazil) and the Communist Party of Cuba. The general objecti- ve of this article is to identify the existence of a “political economy” of the São Pau- lo Forum, understood as an interpretation of capitalism in the world and in Latin America and the Caribbean, with particular emphasis on the analysis of imperia- lism and neoliberalism, as well as on the alternatives that the region may adopt. The specific objective is to analyze the final statements issued at São Paulo Forum meetings, with particular attention to the document “Consensus of Our America,” drawn up by the organization in 2017. Our hypothesis is that this document seeks to articulate a minimal theoretical corpus for the Forum, serving as strategic and programmatic guidance for the left in the region in light of global and regional developments following the 2008 crisis, and thus constituting an expression of its “political economy.” The methodology employed is a content analysis of the final documents of São Paulo Forum meetings published between 1990 and 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 better understand the dynamics and dilemmas of the left in Latin America and the Caribbean in the twenty-first century.