Inequality has increased, poverty has been reduced only slightly at best, employment remains stubbornly low, corruption, violence, crime, and political gridlock continue unabated, and foreign investment and free-trade agreements with the US have yet to deliver the goods. In these circumstances, a strong ideological and policy reaction against the pro-market “Washington Consensus,” with its emphasis on liberalization, deregulation, and privatization, is anything but a surprise.
可以肯定的是，尽管拉美地区2004年的经济发展十分可喜，但近20年来所谓的结构改革却让人大失所望。不平等现象进一步加剧、贫穷最多也只是稍有缓解、就业率仍然很低、腐败、暴力、犯罪和政治僵局愈演愈烈，国外投资和与美国自由贸易协议的结果还有待观察。在这种情况下，人们在意识形态和政策导向上强烈反对面向市场、强调贸易自由、放松管制和私有化的“华盛顿共识”，这根本就不值得大惊小怪。