Politics and Economic Development in Contemporary Latin America

Latin American regional democracies confront myriad challenges, from U.S. military intervention in Colombia to populism in Venezuela and renewed demands for military accountability in the southern cone. Recent market-oriented policies and globalization have generated economic growth and tamed inflation at the cost of income inequality, environmental stresses, and vulnerability to foreign shocks. University strikes in Mexico, a landless movement in Brazil, and labor organizers on the U.S.-Mexican border challenge the neo-liberal agenda. This class explores key regional trends with a focus on Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina.