[EQ] Policymaking in Latin America - How Politics Shapes Policies

Policymaking in Latin America - How Politics Shapes Policies

Ernesto Stein and Mariano Tommasi Editors

With Pablo T. Spiller and Carlos Scartascini

Inter-American Development Bank

David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies Harvard University

Available online PDF [515p.] at: http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=1570390

“……Latin America is engaged in a constant search for policies to accelerate growth, reduce poverty, and otherwise further its economic and social progress. In its journey on the path to development, it has been offered, and often followed, celebrated road maps designed to speed it along in this tortuous trek. The state-run inward-looking policy package of the postwar era and the liberalization of the Washington Consensus were each hailed as tickets to sustainable, equitable development.

Instead, they produced mixed results and ultimately fell short of the region’s goals and expectations.

Were these policies flawed? Was something missing? To date, most of the discussion has been an exchange between those who argue that the transformation of the state has been incomplete and more reform is needed, and those who oppose reform and attribute the poor results to them.

 

This book suggests an alternative view: the problem lies less in the policies than in the process behind these policies. Public policies are not simply items on a menu that policymakers pick and choose. Rather, they are cooked up by numerous political actors and must then be implemented and sustained over time. Each of these political actors at each stage of the process brings his personal interests to the table and is pressured by others in the process with their own respective interests. The quality of the outcomes in the policymaking process depends as much on how these different actors interact as on the merits of the policy being promoted. Thus, differently put, the issue is not only with the nature of the interventions pursued by the state (“Producing”, “Regulating”, or “Distributing”), but also with the institutions that constitute the state: their incentives, the rules that govern their day-to-day functioning, and their accountability…..”

 

CONTENT:

CHAPTER 1. Political Institutions, Policymaking, and Policy: An Introduction

Pablo T. Spiller, Ernesto Stein, and Mariano Tommasi

CHAPTER 2. Who’s Who in the PMP: An Overview of Actors, Incentives, and the Roles They Play

Carlos Scartascini

CHAPTER 3. Political Institutions, Policymaking Processes, and Policy Outcomes in Argentina

Pablo T. Spiller and Mariano Tommasi

CHAPTER 4. On the Road to Good Governance: Recovering from Economic and Political Shocks in Brazil

Lee J. Alston, Marcus André Melo, Bernardo Mueller, and Carlos Pereira

CHAPTER 5. Political Institutions, Policymaking Processes, and Policy Outcomes in Chile

Cristóbal Aninat, John Londregan, Patricio Navia, and Joaquín Vial

CHAPTER 6. Political Institutions and Policy Outcomes in Colombia: The Effects of the 1991 Constitution

Mauricio Cárdenas, Roberto Junguito, and Mónica Pachón
CHAPTER 7. Veto Players, Fickle Institutions, and Low-Quality Policies: The Policymaking Process in Ecuador

Andrés Mejía Acosta, María Caridad Araujo, Aníbal Pérez-Liñán, and Sebastián Saiegh

CHAPTER 8. Policymaking in Mexico Under One-Party Hegemony and Divided Government

Fabrice Lehoucq, Gabriel Negretto, Francisco Aparicio, Benito Nacif, and Allyson Benton

CHAPTER 9. Political Institutions, Policymaking Processes, and Policy Outcomes in Paraguay

José Molinas, Anibal Pérez-Liñán, Sebastián Saiegh, and Marcela Montero

CHAPTER 10. Political Institutions and Policymaking in Venezuela: The Rise and Collapse of Political Cooperation

Francisco Monaldi, Rosa Amelia González, Richard Obuchi, and Michael Penfold

References

 *      *     *
This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMC Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAHO/WHO Website
Equity List - Archives - Join/remove: http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html
Twitter http://twitter.com/eqpaho

 

    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.