CUANDO EL ESTADO LLEGA PERO NO ESTÁ: PRIMERA LÍNEA DE ATENCIÓN EN TERRITORIO DEL MINISTERIO DE DESARROLLO SOCIAL EN URUGUAY (2020 – 2025).

Abstract

This article analyzes the territorial management model of the Ministry of Social Development (MIDES) in Uruguay during the right-wing government (2020–2025), focusing on policy implementation and the role of street-level bureaucracies. At the political level, authorities promote a discursive emphasis on territorial action that is not always accompanied by adequate material conditions. In practice, there is an increase in demand without a corresponding expansion of resources, generating tensions, work overload, and ethical dilemmas. Territorial policy thus appears shaped by a gap between a discursive logic of proximity and a reality of scarcity. Implementation emerges as a key arena where policies are redefined, revealing contradictions between what is proposed and what is actually achievable in practice.