POLS 6396 Professor Ernesto Calvo
T 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM Office Hours: T-Th 12-1:00
Fall 2004 PGH 414 – ecalvo@uh.edu
Latin American Politics
This course will provide an introduction to the comparative politics of Latin America. The political landscape of the region has changed dramatically in the last twenty years, as most authoritarian regimes in the region gave way to democratic ones. Simultaneously, the region has experienced increasing economic turmoil, providing new challenges to these emerging democracies. In this course we will explore how Latin American countries have dealt with the problems of democratic consolidation and economic development in the region.
Students are expected to attend all classes, do all the assigned readings, and participate in class discussion. For a general overview of Latin America, students can buy Thomas E. Skidmore, Peter H. Smith; Modern Latin America, New York : Oxford University Press, 2000 at the UH bookstore. A passing course grade requires two short think pieces, class participation, and a final research paper.
Books
Auyero, Javier. 2000. Poor People's Politics: Peronist Survival Networks and the Legacy of Evita. ISBN: 0822326213.
Dominguez, Jorge and Michael Shifter. 2003. Constructing Democratic Governance in Latin America. John Hopkins U.P: Baltimore. ISBN: 0801871204.
Eckstein, Susan. Power and Popular Protest: Latin American Social Movements, Updated and Expanded Edition. ISBN: 0520227050.
Gibson, Edward, ed. Federalism and Democracy in Latin America. 2004. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN: 0-8018-7424-6.
Haggard, Stephen and Robert Kaufman. 1995. The Political Economy of Democratic Transitions. Princeton University Press. ISBN: 0691027757
Hanchard, Michael. 1999. Racial Politics in Contemporary Brazil. Duke University Press. ISBN: 0822322722.
Htun, Mala. 2003. Sex and the State : Abortion, Divorce, and the Family under Latin American Dictatorships and Democracies. Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 0-521-00879-4.
Levitsky, Steven. 2003. Transforming Labor-Based Parties in Latin America : Argentine Peronism in Comparative Perspective. Cambridge U.P: Cambridge. ISBN: 0521016975.
Morgenstern, Scott and Benito Nacif, 2002. Legislative Politics in Latin America. Cambridge. ISBN: 0-521-79659-8.
Murillo, Maria Victoria. 2003. Labor Unions, Partisan Coalitions, and Market Reforms in Latin America (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics)
O'Donnell, Guillermo and Phillipe Schmitter. 1985. Transitions from Authoritarian Rule: Tentative Conclusions About Uncertain Democracies. Johns Hopkins U.P. ISBN: 0801826829.
Shugart, Matthew and Scott Mainwaring, eds. Presidentialism and Democracy in Latin America. Cambridge. ISBN: 0-521-57614-8
Book chapters, Articles, and unpublished manuscripts (Including non-required readings)
Diaz-Cayero, Magaloni, and Weingast. Tragic Brilliance. [EV]
Evans, Peter. 1979. Dependent Development: The alliance of Multinational, State, and Local Capital in Brazil. Princeton U.P: 275-329.
Gibson (1997). The Populist Road to Market Reform. World Politics.[EV]
Molinar Horcasitas (1996). Changing the Balance of Power in a Hegemonic Party System: The Case of Mexico. In Lijphart and Waisman, Institutional Design in New Democracies. Westview Press. [R]
Schneider, Ben. 1997. Big Business and the Politics of Economic Reform: Confidence and Concertation in Brazil and Mexico. In Schneider, Ben and Sylvia Maxfield. 1997. Business and Politics. Cambridge U.P.
Stokes, Susan. 2003. Mandates and Democracy: neoliberalism by surprise in Latin America. Cambridge U.P: NY. Pgs. 1-59.
Thorp, Rosemary and Francisco Durand. 1997. A Historical View of Business-State Relations: Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela Compared. In Schneider, Ben and Sylvia Maxfield. 1997. Business and Politics. Cambridge U.P.
Kaufman, Robert. 1990. “Stabilization and Adjustment in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico”. In Nelson, Joan M. Economic Crisis and Policy-Making. Princeton UP: NJ. Pgs. 63-111.
Stallings, Barbara. 1990. “Politics and Economic Crisis: A comparative Study of Chile, Peru, and Colombia”. In Nelson, Joan M. Economic Crisis and Policy-Making. Princeton UP: NJ. Pgs. 113-168.
Wickham-Crowley, Timothy P. 1991. Guerrillas and Revolutions in Latin America. Princeton U.P: NJ. Pgs. 3-48.
Schedule
Week 1: Modernization, Dependency and the Transition Paradigm
O'Donnell, Guillermo and Phillipe Schmitter. 1985. Transitions from Authoritarian Rule: Tentative Conclusions about Uncertain Democracies. Johns Hopkins U.P. ISBN: 0801826829.
Huntington, Samuel. 1968. Political Order in Changing Societies. Yale U.P: New Haven. 1-82.
Evans, Peter. 1979. Dependent Development: The alliance of Multinational, State, and Local Capital in Brazil. Princeton U.P: 275-329.
Week 2: Economic Crisis and Democratization
Haggard, Stephen and Robert Kaufman. 1995. The Political Economy of Democratic Transitions. Princeton University Press. ISBN: 0691027757
Kaufman, Robert. 1990. “Stabilization and Adjustment in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico”. In Nelson, Joan M. Economic Crisis and Policy-Making. Princeton UP: NJ. Pgs. 63-111.
Stallings, Barbara. 1990. “Politics and Economic Crisis: A comparative Study of Chile, Peru, and Colombia”. In Nelson, Joan M. Economic Crisis and Policy-Making. Princeton UP: NJ. Pgs. 113-168.
Week 3: Authoritarian Legacies I: Electoral Rules.
Samuels, David and Richard Snyder. 2004. Legislative Malapportionment in Latin America. In Gibson, Edward, ed. Federalism and Democracy in Latin America. 2004. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN: 0-8018-7424-6.
Week 4: Poor People’s Parties
Auyero, Javier. 2000. Poor People's Politics: Peronist Survival Networks and the Legacy of Evita. ISBN: 0822326213.
Week 5: Presidents and…
Shugart, Matthew and Scott Mainwaring, eds. Presidentialism and Democracy in Latin America. Cambridge. ISBN: 0-521-57614-8
Week 6: Assemblies
Morgenstern, Scott and Benito Nacif, 2002. Legislative Politics in Latin America. Cambridge. ISBN: 0-521-79659-8.
Week 7: Authoritarian Legacies II: Political Culture.
Htun, Mala. 2003. Sex and the State : Abortion, Divorce, and the Family under Latin American Dictatorships and Democracies. Cambridge University Press.
ISBN: 0-521-00879-4.
Week 8: Sub-national Politics in Latin America
Gibson, Edward, ed. Federalism and Democracy in Latin America. 2004. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN: 0-8018-7424-6.
Week 9: Protests and Revolutions
Eckstein, Susan. Power and Popular Protest: Latin American Social Movements, Updated and Expanded Edition. ISBN: 0520227050.
Wickham-Crowley, Timothy P. 1991. Guerrillas and Revolutions in Latin America. Princeton U.P: NJ. Pgs. 3-48.
Week 10: Labor and Capital
Murillo, Maria Victoria. 2003. Labor Unions, Partisan Coalitions, and Market Reforms in Latin America (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics)
Schneider, Ben. 1997. Big Business and the Politics of Economic Reform: Confidence and Concertation in Brazil and Mexico. In Schneider, Ben and Sylvia Maxfield. 1997. Business and Politics. Cambridge U.P.
Thorp, Rosemary and Francisco Durand. 1997. A Historical View of Business-State Relations: Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela Compared. In Schneider, Ben and Sylvia Maxfield. 1997. Business and Politics. Cambridge U.P.
Week 11: The transformation of Labor Parties
Levitsky, Steven. 2003. Transforming Labor-Based Parties in Latin America : Argentine Peronism in Comparative Perspective. Cambridge U.P: Cambridge. ISBN: 0521016975.
Gibson (1997). The Populist Road to Market Reform. World Politics.[EV]
Week 12: Racial Politics
Hanchard, Michael. 1999. Racial Politics in Contemporary Brazil. Duke University Press. ISBN: 0822322722.
Week 13: Accountability and Governance
Dominguez, Jorge and Michael Shifter. 2003. Constructing Democratic Governance in Latin America. John Hopkins U.P: Baltimore. ISBN: 0801871204.
Stokes, Susan. 2003. Mandates and Democracy: neoliberalism by surprise in Latin America. Cambridge U.P: NY. Pgs. 1-59.
Week 14: Review and Presentations