The freedom-government relationship in times of pandemic in Brazil and Argentina

This article aims to analyse the freedom-government relationship through the discourses and governmental measures implemented in Brazil and Argentina on the occasion of COVID-19. It considers two variables that became relevant as the pandemic developed: 1) the dichotomy between"economy"and "health': and 2) the national/federal, provincial/state and municipal levels of government as scenarios in the fight against the pandemic -analyzing the specific cases of Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires. The objective is to understand the experiences of Brazil and Argentina based on the knowledge, calculations and government techniques implemented to guarantee the difficult and fragile balance between individual freedom and common security. The period of study is focused on the year of 2020. In this way, it is expected that it will contribute to the analysis of the responses that both countries have given during the first year of the pandemic from the perspective of governmental practices and discourses.