Latin American Politics and Development

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Illustrations
List of Contributors
Preface to the Tenth Edition
Part I The Latin American Tradition and Process of Development
Introduction
A Framework for Analysis
Changes in Political Culture
Economic Change
Social Change
Political Institutions
Public Policy
The International Environment
The Coronavirus Pandemic
Conclusion: The Crucial Questions
1 The Context of Latin American Politics
The Land and the People
The Latin American Economies
Classes and Social Forces
Changing Political Values
Latin America in the Time of COVID-19
Notes
2 A Brief History of Latin America
The Conquest
Colonial Society
Roots of Independence
The New Countries After Independence
Early Economic Change
Upheaval and Restructuring
Notes
3 State Institutions and Public Policy
National Institutions
The Presidency
Legislatures
Courts
Regional and Local Government
Fourth Branch of Government: The Autonomous State Agencies
Public Policy Today
Corruption
Violence and Organized Crime
The COVID-19 Pandemic
Conclusion
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
4 Actors, Interest Groups, and Political Parties
Introduction
The Traditional Oligarchy
Large Landowners
The Armed Forces
The Roman Catholic Church
Other Major Interest Groups
Commercial and Industrial Elites
The Middle Class
Labor Unions
Rural Sectors
Emerging Actors
Indigenous Groups
Afro-Descendant Groups
Women’s Groups
LGBT+ Rights Groups
Political Parties
Conclusion and Implications
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
5 The Political Economy of Latin America
Introduction
The Colonial Economy
Liberalism and the Development of Export Commodities
Import Substitution and Statism
Debt and Latin America’s “Lost Decade”
Free Trade, Globalization, and Their Discontents
Toward Sustainable Development
Poverty and Inequality
The Informal Sector
The Environment and Development
Conclusion
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
6 Latin America and the United States
Introduction
Relations in the Early Years
The Cold War
Since the End of the Cold War
Democracy
Drugs
Immigration
Conclusion
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
7 The Struggle for Democracy in Latin America
Latin American Context for Democracy
Democracy in Contemporary Latin America
Measuring Democracy in Latin America
Citizen Support for Democracy
Conclusion
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
Part II The Political Systems of South America
8 Argentina: The Economic Tango Continues
Historical Background
The Peronist Watershed
Peronism in Exile
Military-Sponsored Terror
Transition to Democracy
Peronism Takes a Turn to the Right
Total Chaos Afoot
Kirchnerismo
Macri and a Swing of the Pendulum
Peronism Yet Again
Argentina – Society and Political Culture
Argentina – Political Institutions and Democratic Processes
Hyper-Presidentialism Continues Apace in Argentina
Political Parties
Argentina – Economic Tango
Argentine Social Change
Argentina and COVID-19
The International Environment
Conclusion
Suggestions for Further Reading
9 Brazil: Polarization and Elite Rule
Introduction
Political Evolution and Historical Framework for Analysis
Political Institutions and Culture
Corruption
Economic Evolution
Social and Racial Structures
Violence
Foreign Policy
Conclusion
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
10 Chile: From Democracy to Dictatorship and Back
Introduction
Oligarchic Politics and the Roots of Chilean Democracy
The Parliamentary Republic (1891–1925)
The 1925 Constitution, the Estado De Compromiso, Tres Tercios, and the Game of Shifting Alliances: 1925–1973
Dual Crises: The End of the Coalitional Game and the Estado De Compromiso
The 1973 Military Coup
Military Rule and Political and Economic Transformation
The Democratic Transition
The Return of Democracy and Post-Authoritarian Governments
The “Estallido,” Pandemic, and Constitutional Convention
Conclusion
Suggestions for Further Reading
11 Colombia: Coping With Multiple Transitions
Demographic, Topological, and Economic Characteristics
Political History of the Nation Through 1974
Characteristics of the Political System
Political Parties and Interest Groups
The Increasing Violence After the 1970s
The Guerrilla Groups
Paramilitary Groups
The Drug Traders
Efforts to End Violence
The Drug Trade
The Paramilitary Groups
The Guerrilla Groups
The Pandemic
Other Public Policy Issues
Other Forms of Violence
Migration
Social Unrest
Corruption
Conclusions
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
12 Peru: Will Democracy Outlast Political Dysfunction?
Early Political History and Military Rule
Transition to Democracy
The Fujimori Era
The Return of Competitive Elections
The 2016 Presidential Elections and the Start of Political Dysfunction
The 2021 Elections and the Deepening of Political Dysfunction
Economic Change
The Impact of COVID-19
Social Change
Political Institutions
Public Policy
The International Environment
Conclusion
Suggestions for Further Reading
13 Venezuela: A Revolutionary Petrostate Under Stress
Background
Geography
Economy
History
Political Turmoil Between 2017 and 2021
Petrostate’s Failure and Adjustment of the Regime
Venezuela’s Geopolitics: Moving Away From the West
Civil–Military Relations
Conclusion
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
14 Uruguay: An Early Democracy and Welfare State in South America
Introduction
History of the Uruguayan Model of Development
The Batlle Reforms and Their End
The Civilian Dictatorship (1934–1942)
The Restoration of Democracy
The Deepening of the Crisis and the Deterioration of Democracy
The Dictatorship and the Transition to Democracy
The Return to Democracy
The Luis Lacalle Pou Government and the Pandemic
Political Structure, Parties, and Groups
Political Structure
Political Parties
Social Groups
Political Economy
Conclusion
Suggestions for Further Reading
15 Paraguay: Consolidation of Limited Democracy
Introduction
History
Colonial Period
Nationalist Period (1811–1870)
Liberal Period (1870–1936)
Military Period
Transition to Democracy (1989–1993)
Political Institutions and Processes
Executive
Legislature
Judiciary
Decentralization
Political Actors
The Military
Political Parties
Elections
Civil Society
Public Administration and Economic Development
Economic Structure
Political Economy
The Pandemic and Paraguay’s Future
Paraguay’s Future
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
16 Bolivia: Between Reform and Revolution
Political Culture
Economic Change
Social Change
Political Institutions
Decentralization
Elections and Parties
Judicial Reforms
Public Policy
International Environment
Coronavirus Pandemic
The Crucial Questions
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
17 Ecuador: The Return of Neoliberal Ghosts With Pandemic Woes
Introduction
Land and People
Historical Background
Political Development Since the 1979 Democratic Transition
Correa and the Citizens’ Revolution
Re-founding the Nation
The End of the Citizens´ Revolution
Social Change and the Rise of Civil Society
Political Institutions
Political Economy: Oil and the Quest for Development
Public Policy: Pendulum Swings Between the Developmental and Neoliberal State
International Relations
The Coronavirus Pandemic
Conclusion
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
Part III The Political Systems of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean
18 Mexico: Pluralism, Violence, and a Populist Backlash
Introduction
The Post-Revolutionary Regime
Economic, Political and Social Transition
New Old Problems
A Populist Backlash
“Taming” COVID-19
Foreign Relations
Conclusion
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
19 Cuba: Revolution in the Balance?
Introduction
History, Political Culture, and Early Development
Struggles for Independence, 1868–1901
The Political Development of Prerevolutionary Cuba
Social Democracy and Authoritarianism in the 1940s and 1950s
The Cuban Revolution
Institutionalization and Crisis: Economy, Government, and Society, 1976–2021
The Economy
The Cuban Communist Party (PCC)
The Central Government
Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR)
Cuba After Fidel and Raúl: Change Or Continuity?
Contemporary Cuban Social Policy
The International Arena
US-Cuba Relations
COVID-19 Response and the July 11 Movement
Conclusion
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
20 Costa Rica: Tensions and Uncertainty in Latin America’s Most Stable Democracy
Introduction
Brief History and Political Development
Contemporary Politics
Elections in the Most Stable Democracy in the Region
Overcoming Gridlock
Corruption Scandals
Social Policy
Costa Rican Economy
Environmental Issues
Foreign Relations
Infection Rates and Government Responses to COVID-19
The 2022 National Election
Conclusions
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
21 Nicaragua: The Resurgence of Authoritarian Rule
History
Demography and Social Policy
Political Culture
Political Institutions and Parties
Dismantling Democracy
Economic and Social Structure
International Relations
Conclusion
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
22 El Salvador: Democracy in Peril?
Introduction
Historical Background
Independence and the Repressive, Exclusionary State
The Civil War
The Peace Accords
Social and Class Structure, and Interest Groups
Social and Class Structure
The Churches and Social Change
Elites and Business
Political Parties and Elections
Post-war Public Policy
From Neoliberalism to Bitcoin
Public Insecurity: Gangs and Violence
Corruption, Impunity, and Rule of Law
COVID-19
Globalization and Interdependence
Conclusion
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
23 Guatemala: The Ongoing Struggle Against Corruption and Impunity
Introduction
Historical Background
Ten Years of Spring
Thirty-Six Years of War
The Transition to Civil Rule
Social and Economic Structure and Civil Society
The State
Political System
Contemporary Public Policy
International Environment
Conclusion
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
24 Honduras: Inequality and Social Crisis
Introduction
Military Populism and the Politics of Bipartidismo
The Octopus and the Bananas
The Making of the USS Honduras
2009: Constitutional Crisis as Coup D’État
The Rise of the Narco-State
Popular Cultures of Opposition
The Restructuring of a Nation
Conclusion: Crises and Caravans
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
25 Panama: Political Culture and the Struggle to Build Democracy
Introduction
Historical Roots of the Political Culture
The New Nation, 1903–1968
The Military Regime, 1968–1989
Demilitarization and Democratization
Electoral Politics
Executive-Legislative Relations
“Juega Vivo”: The Culture of Corruption
A Dual Economy: Development, Inequality, and the Panama Canal
Social Movements: Women, Afro-Panamanians, and Indigenous Peoples
COVID-19
Conclusion
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
26 The Dominican Republic: Democracy, Still a Work in Progress
Introduction
Background
The Making of a Republic
A Brutal Dictatorship
State-Society Relations After Trujillo
Economic Transformation
Social Changes
Dominican Civil Society
Support for Democracy
Society and Social Issues
Crime, Violence, and Citizen Security
Public Policies
International and Transnational
Conclusion: Risks and Opportunities
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
27 Haiti: Searching for Modern Governance
Introduction
Haiti and the Culture of Dysfunctional Politics
Governance and Policymaking
Economic and Social Change
Political Institutions
The International Environment
Conclusion: Critical Questions
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
Index