Understanding Latin American Politics

This textbook integrates domestic and international factors for understanding Latin American politics. The thematic structure of the book is to utilize three different levels of analysis to explain Latin American politics: international, national, and local. This approach has the benefit of incorporating the dynamics of globalization while also including political factors more at ground level, including the influence of subaltern groups. Although there may be important international influences on domestic politics, they interact with and are mediated by national political figures and grassroots activists. The book has four sections: Theoretical and Historical Background; Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean; The Andean Region and Venezuela; and Brazil and the Southern Cone. Each chapter contains key terms, discussion questions, and further sources and a range of pedagogical materials for use in the classroom. This textbook is available in an open access digital edition.

This book’s central goal is to help undergraduate students taking their first course in Latin American politics make the transition from understanding the factors that shape democracies—the systems with which they are most familiar—to those that shape the political values, politics, and governmental institutions of the authoritarian tradition and qualified democratic systems of Latin America. It is a short, pithy introduction written in a clear style that will include an extensive glossary of terms as well as maps, tables and charts to facilitate the goal of the book. Another key feature is a brief overview of the academic approaches to studying Latin American politics, including historical, political culture, development/modernization theory, dependency theory, IPE theories, and neoliberal theories approaches. Overall, this short text is intended to be used in the first few weeks of a course to foster an understanding of how Latin America is distinct from the liberal, populist tradition that students were likely raised in. Starting with general features of the region, the text gradually moves to discuss variations across Latin America emphasizing the degrees of democratization. It can be used in conjunction with the first several chapters of a larger core text or to ramp everyone up quickly before going into individual country case studies.

Highlighting eleven different topics in separate chapters, the thematic approach of Latin American Politics offers students the conceptual tools they need to analyze the political systems of all twenty Latin American nations. Such a structure makes the book self-consciously comparative, allowing students to become stronger analysts of comparative politics and better political scientists in general.

Latin America is a region of great diversity and a rich laboratory for understanding the processes of political development and their interaction with economic growth, social modernization, and cultural influences. Highlighting crucial periods of dynamic socioeconomic and political change, Comparative Latin American Politics provides a balanced, concise overview of select Latin American countries without underestimating the complexities of a region noted for its striking differences. The book focuses on the dominant dyad of Mexico and Brazil while also considering in detail Argentina, Chile, Peru, Columbia, and Venezuela - seven countries that contain four-fifths of the region's inhabitants as well as an even higher proportion of its economy. Recognizing that political institutions and cultures are built over generations, author Ronald M. Schneider divides his analysis into two parts. Part one examines the period from independence to 1930, when countries were coping with an array of post-independence problems and challenges of national consolidation. Part two concentrates on 1930 to the present day and fleshes out current political practices and structures. Each part devotes chapters to specific country coverage as well as meaningful comparative perspectives that illuminate the political evolution of the region and offer salient lessons for other developing parts of the world.

This book discusses the current tendencies in women’s representation and their role in politics in Latin American countries from three different perspectives. Firstly, the authors examine cultural, political-partisan and organizational obstacles that women face in and outside institutions. Secondly, the book explores barriers in political reality, such as gender legislation implementation, public administration and international cooperation, and proposes solutions, supported by successful experiences, emphasising the nonlinearity of the implementation process. Thirdly, the authors highlight the role of women in politics at the subnational level. The book combines academic expertise in various disciplines with contributions from practitioners within national and international institutions to broaden the reader’s understanding of women in Latin American politics.

From afar, Latin America looks like a blurry tableau: devoid of defining lines, particularities and nuances. Little is understood about the idiosyncrasies of Latin-Americans, their cultural identity and social values. Differences between Brazilians and Spanish Americans, or amid the diverse Spanish American countries, are not sufficiently understood. Even less is known about the amplitude of the Iberian heritage of such countries, or about the miscegenation and acculturation processes that took place among their different constitutive races. There is no clarity regarding the Western nature of Latin America or about its cultural affinities with Latin Europe. Nor is there sufficient understanding of the links between the Latin population of the United States and the inhabitants of Latin America. This book aims to fill the gap by focusing on Latin America's history, culture, identity and idiosyncrasies. It serves as a guide to understand regional attitudes, meanings and behavioural differences of the region. It also analyses the present economic situation of the region, while trying to predict the future of the region. Written in a simple and accessible manner, this book will be of interest to readers keen on exploring the region for potential opportunities in trade, investment or any other kind of business and cultural endeavor. Contents: Why Latin America?What is Iberian America?Brazil and Spanish AmericaSpanish America: One or Many?Where do Latin Americans Belong?Latin America and the United States: A DichotomyLatin America and the United States: A History in Seven ChaptersThe Revenge of the SouthWhen China Arrived from NowhereLatin America's Options Readership: Business professionals, researchers, undergraduate and graduate students interested in knowing more about Latin America and Latin American Economic Growth; business and trade federations; institutes or centers for Latin American studies in universities. Keywords: Latin America;Asia;Brazil;Hispanic America;United States;Latino Population in the US;China;Spain;Portugal;US-Lantin American Relations;China-Latin American Trade and InvestmentsReview: "Addressing the profound tendencies that define a highly heterogeneous region, such as Latin America, is a complex task. To be able to do so, while simultaneously explaining the similarities and commonalities that exist within the region, is even more difficult. To that it should be added the important achievement of recreating a historical journey spanning several centuries, in a coherent, clear, thorough and pleasant manner. Alfredo Toro Hardy's excellent book, Understanding Latin America: A Decoding Guide, provides a key to this region and to its historical cycles and current challenges." Francisco Rojas Aravena Rector of the United Nations University for the Peace "Ambassador Toro Hardy's book is most important and timely. I have enjoyed reading the book and gained many new insights about the countries of Latin America from it." Tommy Koh Chairman of the National University of Singapore Centre for International Law "Alfredo Toro Hardy is the quintessential scholar-diplomat. There is nobody more qualified to have produced this timely new volume. Understanding Latin America is an admirably sophisticated yet succinct guide to the historical milestones, political movements and economic trends that everyone should grasp when dealing with the dynamic markets stretching from Mexico to Argentina." Parag Khanna Best-selling author Senior Research Fellow, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy "A