The nation-states and peoples of South and Central America, Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, that together form the political geographical region of Latin America, encompass a wide range of societies, politics and economies. This text exposes the differences between places, regions and countries, individuals and societies, offering an invaluable insight into the themes of political and economic development, and provides a guide to understanding power and space relations. From the Antarctic to the tropical jungles, the coastal communities to the highland villages, the mega-cities to...

The nation-states and peoples of South and Central America, Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, that together form the political geographical region of Latin America, encompass a wide range of societies, politics and economies. This text exposes the differences between places, regions and countries, individuals and societies, offering an invaluable insight into the themes of political and economic development, and provides a guide to understanding power and space relations. From the Antarctic to the tropical jungles, the coastal communities to the highland villages, the mega-cities to...

The book presents a critical analysis of the contemporary democratic state in Latin America. Following the repressive years of authoritarianism and the economic hardships of the debt crisis, much hope was vested in the democratic transitions of the 1980s and 1990s. However, democracy has not resolved the inherent problems of the Latin American state. This is due to the fact that the underlying features of the contemporary state remain associated with values, social relations and institutional forms that reflect the interests of elite social groups and are closely linked to bureaucratic...