Latin American Politics and Development - 9780813344591

For thirty years Latin American Politics and Development has kept instructors and students abreast of current affairs in Latin America. Now in its seventh edition, this definitive text has been updated throughout and features contributions from experts in the field, including three entirely new chapters on Bolivia, Ecuador, and Mexico. Other new material addresses the economic crisis in Argentina; Brazil's continued economic and political progress; Chile's successful—if still tentative—combination of democracy, economic growth, and social equity; the continued challenge to Colombia's political system posed by guerillas, drug traffickers, and paramilitaries; Venezuela's continued flight from liberal democracy under Hugo Chavez; and Mexico's ongoing “civil war” as criminal organizations fight each other and the Mexican state to run drug trafficking and other criminal operations. In addition to detailed country-by-country chapters, Latin American Politics and Development provides a comprehensive regional overview. Five foundational chapters by the editors cover the context of Latin American politics, the pattern of historical development, interest groups and political parties, government machinery, the role of the state and public policy, and the struggle for democracy.