Mauricio Macri on Government Policies

Mauricio Macri implemented a government agenda focused on reconfiguring the Argentine economy along explicitly neoliberal lines, aiming to boost the country by attracting foreign investment and reducing state spending. His administration quickly dismantled many progressive economic and social policies from the previous Kirchner governments, often using emergency decrees to bypass Congress. Key initial measures included eliminating agricultural export taxes, which had funded social programs, and lifting currency controls, which immediately devalued the peso. This shift was supported by domestic capitalists and international corporations but led to public outcry from social movements and the working class due to austerity measures.

The resulting economic model involved increasing dependence on foreign creditors, including renewing ties with the International Monetary Fund and settling with hold-out creditors. The government committed to reducing public spending and removing subsidies for utilities, though it maintained much of the previous administration's social spending initially. This approach aimed for slow, steady adjustment, or "gradualism," rather than shock treatment, but it faced severe challenges, including rising inflation, economic contraction, and increasing poverty rates during his term.