Historical overview of Social Security in Ecuador

Abstract

This article reviews the constitutive processes of the social security system in Ecuador, the forms it has taken throughout its institutional existence, the different problems to which it has been subjected and the debates surrounding it. The article is carried out through the review of academic literature, official documents, and press releases, being a work of historical recapitulation of social security in the country. It concludes with observations on the current situation of social security in Ecuador. It shows that current debates such as those related to privatization, state neglect, and the regression in the recognition and coverage of labor rights, are the result of long historical processes in which the demands of different groups seeking inclusion in the social security system and the interests of multiple actors fighting for austerity and privatization of social security are confronted.