Between political discourses and pragmatic policy-making: Gender equality policies in Bolivia under Evo Morales (2006-2017)

Abstract

This present article investigates the processes of elaboration of gender equality policies under populist governments, focusing on the paradigmatic case of MAS government in Bolivia. Through interviews and documental analysis, the article examines how MAS applied its conceptions of “people” and “elite” to the women’s organizations that intervened in policy-making processes in the field of gender equality, accusing feminist NGOs of being part of “the elite” and praising indigenous women’s social organizations as representatives of “the people”. However, the government included feminist NGOs in the policy-making processes; which shows the existence of a contradiction between the anti-elite populist discourse and pragmatism in policy-making.