The World Bank’s Discourse on Social Inequality: A Policy of Appeasement?

Abstract

Locating ‘social justice’ and ‘social consciousness’ as new buzzwords in dominant economic development paradigms, this paper explores the contradictions between discourse and economic structure in recent social policy programs implemented through World Bank involvement in Latin America (2000-2012). The authors use a critical discourse analysis technique to analyze official World Bank documents pertaining to two projects, the Jefes de Hogar (Argentina) and the Bolsa Familia (Brazil). The study concluded that social justice/quality of life discourse was used in a superficial manner, with the overarching goals of World Bank social policy remaining to be the hegemonic safeguarding of global neoliberal economic-political structures.