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Objective/Context: This article studies how the Uruguayan State conceptualized the idea of "necessity" in relation to the welfare project throughout the twentieth century. Throughout the first half of the century, the Uruguayan State developed a sustained policy of price control based on the concept of basic necessities. During the second half, the system began to crumble under the growing influence of liberal economic approaches and authoritarian processes. In the democratic revival context of the 1980s, these ideas began to be replaced by the concept of unsatisfied basic needs based on the influence of international organizations. Methodology: Through a methodological approach that focuses on the debates in Parliament and the public sphere, the text studies different meanings associated with the idea of necessity in relation to welfare. Originality: The documentary review offers an unprecedented journey through the transformations of the notion of necessity, showing that, while in the 1920s, the products were related to food, in the 1940s, they expanded to include multiple goods associated with the standard of living of the middle class. Simultaneously, the State developed commercial intermediation activities and promoted regulatory mechanisms that sought to control prices and ensure the supply of these goods. From the 1970s onwards, the concept of unsatisfied basic needs contributed to restricting the social role of the State by transforming the idea of welfare linked to universalist policies for the popular sectors to the development of targeted policies aimed at sectors below the poverty line. Conclusions: These policy debates transcended political-ideological alignments and were sustained by relatively shared principles of moral economy that varied between the first and second half of the 20th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, processes of flexibilization of organizational structures have largely permeated productive organizations. While these changes are more common in the private sector, also permeate the state structures. This study analyzes a specific case in a central public agency for the development of social policies in Uruguay: the Monitoring Program. The maintenance of social policies and the needs of formalization of the structure produce the coexistence of trends towards innovation, with tendencies towards standardization of the working processes. The discussion we present - from a qualitative methodological approach - is whether the organization, to achieve its objectives, must attempt to resolve these tensions by moving towards a specific model or, conversely, must seek to develop a hybrid functional model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Revista Uruguaya de Ciencia Política is the property of Instituto de Ciencia Politica (Universidad de la Republica de Uruguay) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The sectorial structure, which was one of the basic charateristics of Uruguayan welfare state, was modified by the present government through the creation of the Ministry of Social Development and specially of its Emergency Plan. This Plan is implemented by the modality of conditional transferences, which in the compared experience appears as an integral and effective strategy for poorest sectors, as long as it includes (a) a suitable monetary amount, (b) a rigorous system of conditions that promotes the development of the beneficiaries (demanding for example attendance and school achievement of children whose families participate in this plan) and (c) educative and affective supports to the participants process. The best practices are based on a pedagogical agreement between agency and participant and they foster themselves reciprocally with sectorial policies. The intervention strategies that this plan has assumed, locates it among those of last generation in the field of social policies, as it tries to recover welfare and integrates it with promotional objectives. When evaluating, it will be important to analyze how it combined flexibility facing different situations, with the massive scale with which it works. Given the starting points of the families, it also seems necessary to consider it as a medium and long term effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]