To view prices and purchase online, please login or create an account now.



Transforming Labor-Based Parties in Latin America: Argentine Peronism in Comparative Perspective

Hardback

Main Details

Title Transforming Labor-Based Parties in Latin America: Argentine Peronism in Comparative Perspective
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Steven Levitsky
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:304
Dimensions(mm): Height 238,Width 157
Category/GenrePolitical economy
ISBN/Barcode 9780521816779
ClassificationsDewey:335.00982
Audience
Professional & Vocational
Illustrations 29 Tables, unspecified; 1 Line drawings, unspecified

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 27 January 2003
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Why did some Latin American labor-based parties adapt successfully to the contemporary challenges of neoliberalism and working class decline while others did not? Drawing on a detailed study of the Argentine Peronism, as well as a broader comparative analysis, this book develops an organizational approach to party change. Levitsky's study breaks new ground in its focus on informal and weakly institutionalized party structures. It argues that loosely structured party organizations, such as those found in many populist labor-based parties, are often better equipped to adapt to rapid environmental change than are more bureaucratic labor-based parties. The argument is illustrated in the case of Peronism, a mass labor-based party with a highly fluid internal structure. The book shows how this weakly routinized structure allowed party reformers to undertake a set of far-reached coalitional and programmatic changes that enabled Peronism to survive, and even thrive, in the neoliberal era.

Reviews

'... important and enlightening ... a welcome and highly significant addition to debates on party institutionalisation, party systems, and democratisation. ... a valuable contribution to the understanding of Peronism itself ...'. Journal of Latin American Studies