Contemporary Latin America or Politicizing Presidency

Contemporary Latin America

Author: Ronaldo Munck

Fully updated for the new 2nd edition, Contemporary Latin America provides a concise introduction to the region written in an accessible and student-friendly style by a well-known authority. A brief introduction to the historical context, the countries and their peoples provides a backdrop to broad-ranging coverage of contemporary politics, political economy, society and culture and of the prospects of the continent in a changing world

Table of Contents:

	List of Figures, Tables, Boxes and Maps
	Preface and Acknowledgements
	List of Abbreviations
	Map of Latin America
1	Introduction: Setting and Issues	1
2	Historical Context	23
3	Political Economy	43
4	Governance	62
5	Social Patterns	82
6	Social Movements	101
7	Culture	121
8	International Context	138
9	Conclusion: Futures Imperfect	157
	Recommended Reading	175
	Bibliography	180
	Index	189

See also:

Politicizing Presidency: The White House Personnel Office, 1948-1994

Author: Thomas J Weko

"This is the most thorough analysis of the institutional presidency and presidential appointments I've seen and will be the definitive study of the White House Personnel Office for some time to come. Weko is excellent in showing how the decline of parties, the fragmentation of Congress, the proliferation of primaries, the increasing number of interest groups, and the decline of the cabinet are all interrelated and contribute to the growth of the White House staff. A superb book."—James Pfiffner, author of The Modern Presidency

"Weko makes a significant contribution to presidential studies by providing one of the first empirical assessments of 'rational choice institutionalism,' an important new strand in the literature introduced by Stanford's Terry Moe. He offers strong support for Moe's general theory, but also improves it by accounting for the detours along the way attributed to presidential preferences, political necessity, and short-run public concerns. A well-written, well-designed, and carefully argued study."—Joseph A. Pika, coauthor of The Presidential Contest and The Politics of the Presidency

"A fascinating and much-needed account that fills a serious gap in the empirical literature on the presidency and sheds important new light on the presidential power of appointment."—Terry M. Moe, author of The Organization of Interests

Author Biography: Thomas J. Weko is assistant professor in the Department of Politics and Government at the University of Puget Sound.