Latin America is at a crossroads. The “golden age” inaugurated with the turn of the new millennium seems a faint memory.
Economies that had grown at a steady pace are now slowing down, while some are in freefall. Politically, the “pink tide” of populist movements is now ebbing. From Brazil to Venezuela, from Argentina to Bolivia, left-leaning leaders across the region seem to have lost their bond with the people.
Their promises of an equitable society through an apparently never-ending redistribution of wealth crashed against the reality of shortsighted and unsustainable policies. Political and social turmoil are heralding an era of changes and – maybe – of new opportunities for Latin America. And this ‘great transformation’ is precisely what this volume is all about.
Where is it leading to? Does it mark the beginning of a new age? Which lessons can be learnt from the past? Leading international scholars and experts scratch beneath the surface of Latin America’s current crisis to have a clearer glimpse of what the future holds and draw policy recommendations, especially for the EU.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
1. The Pink Tide Recedes: Latin America Turns a Page, Loris Zanatta
2. Latin America and the World. The Right Time for Engagement?, Peter Schechter and Rachel DeLevie-Orey
3. After the Commodity Boom: Towards a New Economic Model?, Antonella Mori
4. Is Inequality Declining in Latin America?, Alicia Bárcena
5. Oil and Commodities: The End of the "Age of Abundance", Lisa Viscidi and Rebecca O'Connor
6. Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking, a Never-Ending Threat, Aníbal Gutiérrez
CONCLUSIONS. POLICY IMPLICATIONS FOR THE EU
* The ISPI online papers are also published with the support of Fondazione Cariplo