El neoliberalismo en Ecuador y su incidencia en el bienestar de la población ecuatoriana en el período 2017 - 2023

Abstract

Abstract: For the population to achieve well-being, a state focused on ensuring that these needs are met through public policies is essential. However, since 2017, a political agenda marked by the neoliberal model has been observed in Ecuador, which is weakening the well-being of Ecuadorians and aims to strengthen ties with the IMF. Given the landscape of structural adjustments based on this approach, this study seeks to analyze neoliberalism in Ecuador and its impact on the well-being of the Ecuadorian population during the period 2017-2023, based on three types of research: descriptive, documentary, and historical, and using data from the INEC (National Institute of Statistics and Censuses), BCE (Central Bank of Ecuador), and CEPALSTAT (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean). Among the main findings, it was discovered that the mergers of ministries carried out in 2018 and 2019, the reduction of the fiscal deficit from 7% in 2020 to 2.7% in 2022 as a percentage of GDP, and the prioritization of debt repayment all impacted the well-being of the population. As a result, out-of-pocket health spending increased from 30.6% in 2018 to 32.8% in 2023, informality rose at the expense of formal employment, homicides increased from 1,908 in 2017 to 9,022 in 2023, and the Life Satisfaction Index fell from 6 points in 2018 to 5.7 in 2023.