Welfare and Party Politics in Latin America
Cambridge University Press, 4/22/2013
EAN 9781107030220, ISBN10: 1107030226
Hardcover, 232 pages, 22.8 x 15.2 x 1.7 cm
Language: English
Systems of social protection can provide crucial assistance to the poorest and most vulnerable groups in society, but not all systems are created equally. In Latin America, social policies have historically exhibited large gaps in coverage and high levels of inequality in benefit size. Since the late 1990s, countries in this region have begun to grapple with these challenges, enacting a series of reforms to healthcare, social assistance and education policy. While some of these initiatives have moved in a universal direction, others have maintained existing segmentation or moved in a regressive direction. Welfare and Party Politics in Latin America explores this variation in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Venezuela, finding that the design of previous policies, the intensity of electoral competition, and the character of political parties all influence the nature of contemporary social policy reform in Latin America.
Acknowledgments
Acronyms
1. From special privilege to social rights
universalism in social policy
2. Creating universalistic social policy
the role of policy legacies, electoral competition, and party character
3. Healthcare reform in Chile and Uruguay
4. Social assistance reform in Chile and Uruguay
5. Education reform in Chile and Uruguay
6. Party character in Chile and Uruguay
7. Slow progress toward universalism
Argentina and Venezuela in comparative perspective
8. Latin America's left parties and the politics of poverty and inequality
References
List of interviews
Index.
Advance praise: 'Why are social policy outcomes so distinct between progressive governments? Jennifer Pribble demonstrates that similar goals to reduce poverty and inequality follow different paths. Her book combines legacies, power resources, and strategies to unpack 'the left', showing the ways, means, and constraints shaping policy reform. This book is a superb contribution to the study of social policy and inequality.' Juliana Martinez Franzoni, University of Costa Rica