Overview

Latin America experienced an unprecedented wave of left-leaning governments between 1998 and 2010. This volume examines the causes of this leftward turn and the consequences it carries for the region in the twenty-first century. The Resurgence of the Latin American Left asks three central questions: Why have left-wing parties and candidates flourished in Latin America? How have these leftist parties governed, particularly in terms of social and economic policy? What effects has the rise of the Left had on democracy and development in the region? The book addresses these questions through two sections. The first looks at several major themes regarding the contemporary Latin American Left, including whether Latin American public opinion actually shifted leftward in the 2000s, why the Left won in some countries but not in others, and how the left turn has affected market economies, social welfare, popular participation in politics, and citizenship rights. The second section examines social and economic policy and regime trajectories in eight cases: those of leftist governments in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay, and Venezuela, as well as that of a historically populist party that governed on the right in Peru. Featuring a new typology of Left parties in Latin America, an original framework for identifying and categorizing variation among these governments, and contributions from prominent and influential scholars of Latin American politics, this historical-institutional approach to understanding the region's left turn-and variation within it-is the most comprehensive explanation to date on the topic.

Full Product Details

Author:   Steven Levitsky (John J. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences, Harvard University) ,  Kenneth M. Roberts (Cornell University)
Publisher:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Imprint:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 3.00cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.703kg
ISBN:  

9781421401102

ISBN 10:   142140110
Pages:   496
Publication Date:   27 October 2011
Recommended Age:   From 13
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

"List of Tables and Figures Preface Abbreviations Introduction. Latin America's ""Left Turn"": A Framework for Analysis Part I: Thematic Issues Chapter 1. Evidence from Public Opinion Chapter 2. Economic Constraints and Presidential Agency Chapter 3. The Left: Destroyer or Savior of the Market Model? Chapter 4. The Political Left, the Export Boom, and the Populist Temptation Chapter 5. Social Policy and Redistribution: Chile and Uruguay Chapter 6. The Diversity of Left Party Linkages and Competitive Advantages Chapter 7. The Left and Participatory Democracy: Brazil, Uruguay, and Venezuela Chapter 8. The Left and Citizenship Rights Part II: Case Analyses Chapter 9. Venezuela: Hugo Chávez and the Populist Left Chapter 10. Bolivia: Origins and Policies of the Movimiento al Socialismo Chapter 11. Ecuador: Rafael Correa and the Citizens' Revolution Chapter 12. Argentina: Left Populism in Comparative Perspective, 2003–2009 Chapter 13. Brazil: The PT in Power Chapter 14. Chile: The Left after Neoliberalism Chapter 15. Uruguay: A Social Democratic Government in Latin America Chapter 16. Peru: The Left Turn That Wasn't Conclusion. Democracy, Development, and the Left References Contributors Index"

Reviews

<p>The Levitsky/Roberts work, nonetheless, will stand as the most comprehensive treatment to date of the re-emergence of the Latin American left, and of the variable performance in office of the 'first generation' of left and centre-left governments.--Philip Chrimes International Affairs (01/01/2012)

Author Information

Steven Levitsky is a professor of government at Harvard University. He is the coauthor of Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes after the Cold War, author of Transforming Labor-Based Parties in Latin America, and coeditor of Informal Institutions and Democracy, the last also published by Johns Hopkins. Kenneth M. Roberts is a professor of government at Cornell University, the author of Deepening Democracy?, and the coeditor of Beyond Neoliberalism in Latin America.

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