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Authoritarianism and Corporatism in Latin America--Revisited
Overview
"I highly recommend this innovative and important contribution to the field of Latin American government and politics. Clearly, Wiarda and colleagues significantly clarify, extend, and apply the corporatist model, and they push out the theoretical bounds of corporatism, which teachers and scholars will appreciate."--Phil Kelly, Emporia State University
Despite hopes and wishes for democracy, the political reality in Latin America today is that corporatism and authoritarianism continue to be far stronger than the current literature would suggest. Analyzing this provocative thesis, the authors of these essays argue that democracy is in deep trouble in almost all countries of the region.
Though 19 of the 20 countries (all except Cuba) are at least formally democratic, these scholars maintain that corporatism and authoritarianism--whether disguised or submerged--are both alive and functioning, and that they exist alongside and overlap with democratic institutions. Indeed, their persistence may be the most important factor explaining the weakness of democracy in Latin America. The contributors suggest that the shift to the transitions-to-democracy paradigm, popular in political assessments of the region for the past 25 years, has been too abrupt.
Deeply ingrained within Latin American culture and social structure, corporatism and authoritarianism are practiced today in public bureaucracy, labor relations, a variety of public policy programs, the laws and legal systems, and by such regimes and leaders as Alberto Fujimori of Peru, Hugh Chávez of Venezuela, and Vicente Fox of Mexico. Political life is strung out on a continuum, or a number of continua, between authoritarianism and democracy, between statism and liberty, between corporatism and free associability. Corporatism might support or oppose the aspirations of democracy.
The writers are particularly intrigued by the continuing practice of corporatism in numerous nongovernmental activities, in new public-private partnerships, and at local levels. The editor's conclusions explore how and why these features persist, and what the implications are for Latin America, for democracy, and for U.S. policy in the area.
The book covers all the main countries and areas of Latin America and brings together scholars at the leading edge of the field. Certain to be controversial, this pathbreaking collection will be indispensable to policy making in the 21st century and valuable as a textbook for both undergraduate and graduate levels of courses about Latin American politics and government.
Contents
Introduction: Whatever Happened to Corporatism and Authoritarianism in Latin America? by Howard J. Wiarda
Part I. Theoretical Considerations
1. State Reform and Traditional Political Practice in Latin America, by Menno Vellinga
2. Corporatism in Latin America and Europe: Origins, Developments, and Challenges in Comparative Perspective, by Paul S. Adams
Part II. Cases and Comparative Studies
3. The Persistence of Authoritarianism and Corporatism in the Andes: The Case of Peru, by David Scott Palmer
4. Authoritarianism, Corporatism, and Chilean “Exceptionalism,” by Brian Loveman
5. Venezuela’s Punto Fijo Party System: A Failed Corporatist Mediator, by David M. Myers
6. Colombia: Pluralism and Corporatism in a Weak State, by Harvey F. Kline
7. Corporatism under Attack? Authoritarianism, Democracy, and Labor in Contemporary Argentina, by Linda Chen
8. Another Century of Corporatism? Continuity and Change in Brazil’s Corporatist Structures, by Timothy J. Power and Mahrukh Doctor
9. Mexico’s Semicorporatist Regime, by George W. Grayson
10. What about Corporatism in Central America? by Steve C. Ropp
Conclusion: New Directions in Research, Theory, and Policy, by Howard J. Wiarda
Howard J. Wiarda is Dean Rusk Professor of International Affairs at the University of Georgia, Athens, and is affiliated with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. |
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