The State of Democracy in Latin America: Post-Transitional Conflicts in Argentina and Chile

246 Pages·2005·2.48 MB·English

by  Jonathan Barton

The State of Democracy in Latin
America
This book presents a critical analysis of the contemporary democratic
state in Latin America.
In a shift away from standard analyses of political change during
the 1990s, the authors present a more state-centric perspective that seeks
to explain why transitions to democracy have failed to provide more
political and social stability in the region. The book provides a theoretical
analysis of the democratic state in Latin America and then explores
the economic, political and social processes that followed democratisation
and the economic reforms in the 1980s and 1990s.
In-depth discussions of the state in Argentina and Chile provide more
specific cases for the analysis of the regional experience of neoliberal
economic development and liberal democracy. Both countries have
experienced different fortunes during the 1990s and the nature and role
of the state in each case has been of critical importance. The conclusions
that are reached offer insights into wider experiences of democratic
capitalist states.
Of interest to those studying regional politics and globalisation, The
State of Democracy in Latin America is a valuable addition to research and
teaching resources in this area.
Laura Tedesco is Senior Lecturer in Politics at the School of Development
Studies, University of East Anglia.
Jonathan R. Barton is Lecturer in the Instituto de Estudios Urbanos y
Territoriales, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

The State of Democracy in
Latin America
Post-transitional conflicts in Argentina
and Chile
Laura Tedesco and Jonathan R. Barton
First published 2004
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2004.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor &Francis or Routledge ’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
© 2004 Laura Tedesco and Jonathan R. Barton
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN 0-203-33903-7 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0–415–34811–0 (Print Edition)
For Alex and Daniela

Contents
List of figures and tables ix
Acknowledgements x
Introduction: The state of democracy 1
A time of uncertainty 1
States as conflict 6
States in transition 8
1 Conceptualising the state 14
The historical development of the state 14
The theoretical development of the state 19
The state in contemporary debates on Latin America 31
2 Perspectives on the Latin American state 45
The roots of the contemporary state 45
The emergence and collapse of bureaucratic
authoritarianism 54
The emergence of the New Liberal Consensus 62
The democratic state of the New Liberal Consensus 65
Economic and social consequences of the
New Liberal Consensus 72
3 The unfolding of Argentina’s political collapse
and social decay 91
Transforming social relations during the Proceso 91
Governing after the military 95
The Menem years 104
Menem’s economic revolution 106
Political coalitions 118
viii The state of democracy in Latin America
Sixteen years on... 124
The Alianza government: A political disaster 127
The legacy of the politics of informality 134
4 In search of the post-transitional Chilean state 145
A transitional state or a neoliberal state? 146
The unholy alliance: The generals and the state 150
The form of the state: An alliance of the élites 155
The legacy of dictatorship and the challenge of
transition 166
The 1999–2000 presidential elections: The battle for
the centre ground 173
The state as social conscience 178
The Chilean state and the question of hegemony 183
A consolidated New Liberal Consensus 190
Reflections on the contemporary Latin American state 202
Bibliography 213
Index 228
Figures and tables
Figures
1 The interrelated nature of the state 29
2 Social expenditure as a percentage of GDP 73
3 Open unemployment rates in urban areas,
1990–2000 75
4 Interest paid and outstanding (US$ millions) 77
5 Total disbursed external debt (US$ millions) 78
6 Net foreign direct investment (US$ millions) 79
Tables
1 Survey responses to statement: Democracy is
preferable to any other kind of government 67
2 Survey responses to statement: In certain
circumstances, an authoritarian government
can be preferable to a democratic one 68
3 Annual growth rate in total GDP 76
4 Income distribution 82
5 Gini coefficient 83
6 Income shares per decile: Household incomes
per equivalent adult 161
7 Social welfare regimes in Chile 162