Civil Society and the State in Left-Led Latin America: Challenges and Limitations to Democratization

Timely and unique, this innovative volume provides a critical examination of the role of civil society and its relation to the state throughout left-led Latin America. Featuring a broad range of case studies from across the region, from the Bolivian Constitution to participative budgeting in Brazil to the communal councils in Venezuela, the book examines to what extent these new initiatives are redefining state-civil society relations. Does the return of an active state in Latin America imply the incorporation of civil society representatives in decision-making processes? Is the new left delivering on the promise of participatory democracy and a redefinition of citizenship, or are we witnessing a new democratic deficit?

A wide-ranging analysis of a vital issue, both for Latin America and beyond.

Barry Cannon is a Post-doctoral CARA fellow with the School of Law and Government, in Dublin City University (DCU), Ireland funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS). He is currently working on a research project on the Right in Latin America and is conducting his research from the Instituto de Iberoamerica at the University of Salamanca, Spain. His most recent book is Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian Revolution: Populism and Democracy in a Globalised Age (Manchester University Press, 2009). He has published journal articles in Third World Quarterly, Bulletin of Latin American Research, Democratization and Development and Practice.

Peadar Kirby is Professor of International Politics and Public Policy and Director of the Institute for the Study of Knowledge in Society (ISKS) at the University of Limerick, Ireland. He has published extensively on globalization and development, both in theoretical terms and in relation to Ireland and to Latin America. Recent single-authored books include Celtic Tiger in Collapse: Explaining the weaknesses of the Irish model (Palgrave, 2010), Vulnerability and Violence: The Impact of Globalisation (Pluto Press, 2006), and Introduction to Latin America: Twenty-First Century Challenges (Sage, 2003). He has published journal articles in New Political Economy, Review of International Political Economy, Economy & Society, The European Journal of Development Research, and Globalizations.