Inequality, Growth, Economic Regime and Political Change in Latin America: An Overview

Abstract

Two epochal changes have occurred in Latin America in the last 15 years, emerging from the most profound crisis since the 1930s: the democratization of political regimes and the change of the economic regimes developed during the postwar period towards more open economies and more pro-market or pro-private rules of state intervention. Both are on-going processes, and as such still open to improvement or perversion; but not to reversion, since both emerged from a combination of external and internal structural changes. This simultaneous change has prompted the interpretation, from a neoliberal point of view, that ‘all good things come together’, which would eventually imply ‘the end of history’. However, the present crossroads is more likely to be the beginning of a new stage, with its own conflicts and oppourtunities.

The author thanks the editors of this volume for extremely useful comments on an earlier draft and to Alejandra Radiszcz for her excellent assistance in preparing the data.