The book traces the twin processes of economic liberalization and political democratization in Bolivia since the 1980s, placing both in their historical context. By focusing on the issue of democratic 'viability', it seeks to raise the broader question of the relationship between democratization and the socio-economic context in which it takes place. In particular, it examines the institutional reforms of the early 1990s - praised by the World Bank and others - and considers their achievements and limitations.

This profile provides a guide to the major recent economic, social, and political developments within Peru, viewed through the eyes of Peruvians themselves. John Crabtree emphasizes the depth of social divides in a country where more than half the population lives in poverty and without access to adequate employment. He analyzes the weakness of democratic institutions and the lack of political -voice- of the majority of men and women, while examining the background to the country's poor human rights record in recent years.

Peru is burdened with heavy foreign debts, and subject to...

Bolivia leapt onto the front pages of the news in October 2003, when the -Gas Wars- protests caused the ousting of Bolivia's President, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. In the Gas Wars the indigenous inhabitants, trade unions, and other civil society groups came together to protest the sale of Bolivian natural gas to the United States through a pipeline leading to Chile. In the unrest protestors were killed, and calls for the President to resign grew ever louder. Bolivia has a long history of social protest. In Cochabamba in 2000, the Water Wars saw nearly 10,000 people take to the streets against...

Modeling chemical reactions and mechanisms can be of great benefit to the chemical process industry. A typical chemical mechanism is a database composed of thousands of reactions involving a hundred or more species. A fundamental prerequisite of mechanism analysis and classification is the ability to map atomic reactions. Reaction mapping is also fundamental in the analysis of biological pathways, enzymatic reaction data, tracer experiments, and the consistency checking of pathway databases. Biological molecules often have complex structures that can be nearly impossible to validate manually....

Since Evo Morales was elected president in 2006 as leader of the MAS, the first social movement to achieve political power in Latin America, Bolivia has seen radical changes and continues to generate huge interest worldwide. In this revealing new book, Crabtree and Chaplin show how ordinary people have responded to the processes of change that have taken place in the country over the last few years.
Based on a wealth of interview material and original reportage, the book enters the terrain of grassroots politics, identifying how Bolivians work within the country's social movements and how...