The Return of Crisis Politics: Political Instability and Inequality in Latin America

Many Latin American countries are once again in the grip of economic downturns. With the slowdown in Chinese demand for Latin American commodities, and with historically low oil prices, economic malaise looms from Brazil to Argentina to Venezuela. The boom years of the 2000s now appear to be well and truly over and as the dust settles following the global financial crisis, and some countries regain stability and confidence, while others still struggle to find their feet, some important questions have come to the fore. Why have some countries weathered the economic crisis more successfully than others? What does the current instability in the region stem from? What effect may it have on inequality and poverty? How might these trends affect party systems and political stability across the region? In this Section, we welcome proposals on any of these topics, and specifically Panels and Papers related to issues of international relations, international political economy, work on party systems in Latin America, executives, bureaucracies, judicial branches, social movements and legislatures, work on public policy such as social spending, taxation and security and work that examines the relationship of these issues with inequality and poverty. We particularly welcome comparisons with Europe, given Europe, in the wake of the financial crisis, is still reeling from the aftershocks.