The ‘free enterprise’ system is a normative cornerstone of many Latin American political constitutions and a formative principle of neoliberal legality. However, the way in which this economic model shapes the legal field and conceptions of the rule of law remains understudied. Though lawyers, judges, and legal experts have played an important role in the legal buttressing of the free enterprise model, this article explores the shaping of neoliberal legality from the periphery of the juridical system. We argue that the rise of neoliberal legality in Latin America owes much to the legal imaginary crafted by business associations. In line with this, we examine the ‘norm entrepreneurship’ undertaken since the 1940s by an organization barely noted in mainstream histories of neoliberalism: the Inter-American Council for Commerce and Production (IACCP). Drawing on the concept of social constitutionalism and archival work, we investigate the IACCP's role in the struggle to give business activities social legitimacy and establish free enterprise as a socio-legal norm and a source of public law.

中文翻译：

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新自由主义合法性的形成：商业精英的法律想象与拉丁美洲“自由企业”的“社会宪政化”

“自由企业”制度是许多拉丁美洲政治宪法的规范基石，也是新自由主义合法性的形成原则。然而，这种经济模式塑造法律领域和法治概念的方式仍有待研究。尽管律师、法官和法律专家在自由企业模式的法律支撑中发挥了重要作用，但本文从司法体系的外围探讨了新自由主义合法性的塑造。我们认为，拉丁美洲新自由主义合法性的兴起很大程度上要归功于商业协会精心打造的法律想象。与此相一致，我们考察了自 20 世纪 40 年代以来由一个在新自由主义主流历史中鲜有提及的组织：美洲商业与生产委员会 (IACCP) 所开展的“规范创业”。借鉴社会宪政和档案工作的概念，我们调查了 IACCP 在赋予商业活动社会合法性和将自由企业确立为社会法律规范和公法渊源的斗争中的作用。