GRADUALIST KEYNESIANISM OR DESIRED LIBERALISATION? ANALYSIS OF STRATEGIC DOCUMENTS OF THE STATE, AND THE CONTRADICTIONS OF NEO-CORPORATISM IN SLOVENIA (1991–2008)

The article contributes to discussions on the nature, extent and depth of neo-corporatist political arrangements in Slovenia before the 2008 crisis by analysing the interests held by the respective dominant social bloc(s) as they emerged in the early 1990s and are most clearly expressed in strategic documents of the state. Our analysis shows that beneath the neo-corporatist structure and certain neo-Keynesian policies as the outcome of the social partnership, a strong technocratic, political and capitalist orientation to introduce greater liberalisation in the areas of employment and social policy was already present long before 2004, a year usually seen as when the neo-corporatist consensus started to crumble after a new rightwing government came to power and Slovenia joined the EU and NATO. Keywords: Slovenia, neocorporatism, state strategies, capitalism, social bloc.