The criation of the National Secretary of Social Economy (Senaes): Achievement and Retrenchment in Public Policy for Social Economy

Abstract

Neoliberalism in Brazil by the end of the twentieth century deepened social exclusion. Social economy rises as a response to this phenomena and influences, along with other popular sectors, the change in the Brazilian scenario, managing to elect Lula as President for 2003. Senaes is the result of this process, able to implement different policies for the Solidarity Economy in the last thirteen years. However, Senaes from 2015 onwards went through a process of retrenchment, with the changes in national scenario. The article reviews the political and economic environment that exacerbates social exclusion in the country, discusses the political struggle for the construction of Senaes, points out the progress made by the secretariat and the risks of its retrenchment in public policy for social economy.