The Politics of Expertise in Latin America

by Miguel A. Centeno (Editor), Patricio Silva (Editor)

Overview

The ascendancy of technocratic personnel and their imposition of neo-liberal economic policies have come to define Latin American politics in the 1980s and 1990s. This book is the first comparative analysis of these events and their implications for the future of democracy on the continent. Individual chapters discuss the rise to power of these technocrats in Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Peru as well as the historical antecedents of expert rule in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312210267
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	01/12/1998
Series:	Latin American Studies Series
Edition description:	1998
Pages:	238
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.03(d)

Table of Contents

Preface - Notes on the Contributors - The Politics of Expertise in Latin America: Introduction; M.A.Centeno & P.Silva - The Quest for Modernity: Latin America's Technocratic Ideas in Historical Perspective; M.Baud - The Politics of Knowledge: Hayek and Technocracy; M.A.Centeno - Pablo Ramirez: A Political Technocrat avant-la-lettre; P.Silva - The Material Bases of Technocracy: Investor Confidence and Neoliberalism in Latin America; B.R.Schneider - The World Bank and the Transformation of Latin American Society; P.van Dijck - Economists in Party Politics: Chilean Democracy in the Era of the Markets; V.Montecinos - Stars of the Crisis: The Ascent of Economists in Peruvian Public Life; C.M.Conaghan - Feminism and Technocracy: Femocrats in Brazil in the Eighties; I.van Halsema - Technocrats and Politicians in the Democratic Politics of Argentina (1983-95); C.Huneeus - Technocracy a la Mexicana: Antecedent to Democracy?; R.A.Camp - References - Index

Editorial Reviews

Eight contributions from the September 1995 conference in Amsterdam look at the process of technocratic ascendancy in Latin America. The authors explain how the professional experiences of technocrats contribute to a political, social, and economic perspective. They analyze the technocratic world view and explore its origins and consequences. They suggest that an elite culture links all the historical apparitions of expert rule, and that an understanding of the culture helps to explains the actions of technocrats. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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