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Neoliberal restructuring and scenarios of democratic consolidation in Latin America

  • Development Theory
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Abstract

The “free-market” policies and neoliberal restructuring widely experienced by Latin American in recent years have contended with a wide array of economic problems, and the results have been somewhat problematic. The consequences for the process of democratic consolidation have become the subject of increasing theorizing. At the same time, certain generalizations can be advanced. These are enriched by examination of the diverse paths to neoliberal restructuring followed by different countries. This leads to elaboration of several alternative scenarios that may eventually prevail, including consideration of variations in posttransition democratic regimes in the 1990s. The policies and developments schematically discussed here support the contention that Latin America is following a developmental trajectory distinct from anything known in its past.

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  1. William C. Smith
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William C. Smith teaches Latin American politics at the University of Miami, where he is the Director of the Program in Comparative Development at the Graduate School of International Studies and the Director of the Task Force on Democratization at the North-South Center. Smith is the author ofAuthoritarianism and the Crisis of the Argentine Political Economy (Stanford University Press, 1989 and 1991) and numerous articles on democratic transitions and political economy in Argentina and Brazil. His most recent book isDemocracy, Markets and Structural Reforms in Latin America (Trnnsaction, forthcoming), coedited with Carlos H. Acuña and Eduardo Gamarra.

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Smith, W.C. Neoliberal restructuring and scenarios of democratic consolidation in Latin America. Studies in Comparative International Development 28, 3–21 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02687114

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