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Article
Civil Society Engagement in Free Trade Negotiations: CAFTA Opposition Movements in El Salvador
Faculty Publications – College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
  • Rose J. Spalding, DePaul University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2007
Disciplines
Abstract

This article analyzes civil society participation in the free trade debate by focusing on networks that opposed the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) in El Salvador. Drawing on documents, observations, and semi-structured interviews with civil society leaders, two kinds of opposition coalitions are identified. “Critic negotiators,” emphasizing active engagement and policy research, used the limited participation space opened by authorities to push for reform. “Transgressive resisters,” repudiating the formal consultation process, deployed confrontational tactics and posed more fundamental challenges. This work uses social movement theory to explore coalition resource mobilization, the role of movement entrepreneurs, strategic decision-making, mechanisms linking local and transnational activists, and the dynamics of intra-movement competition.

Citation Information
Spalding, Rose J. “Civil Society Engagement in Free Trade Negotiations: CAFTA Opposition Movements in El Salvador.” Latin American Politics and Society 49, #4 (Winter 2007): 85-114.