State, Market, and Democracy in Chile

State, Market and Democracy in Chile assesses the quality of Chilean democracy by examining the impact of free market reforms on the urban poor's incentives for political participation and capacity for collective action. Through in depth analysis of labor market, social welfare and state reforms, along with extensive interviews with party officials and shantytown residents, this book reveals the manner in which neoliberal reform has undermined the urban poor's incentives and ability to hold public officials accountable. In so doing, it demonstrates the manner in which economic liberalization has negatively affected the quality of Chilean democracy.

Paul W. Posner is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Clark University, Worcester, MA. He received his doctorate in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His current research focuses on democratization and political participation in developing regions, particularly Latin America. He is also interested in the impact of economic globalization and related state reforms on social organization and collective action in both developing and developed countries. Posner has published in the Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs, Democratization, Latin American Politics and Society and Political Power and Social Theory.

Introduction * The State in Society: Conceptualizing Collective Action and Popular Participation in Latin America * Business, Labor, and the State: The Transformation of the State/Society Nexus * Democratization, Political Representation, and the Rise of Popular Dissatisfaction * Local Democracy and the Transformation of Popular Participation * Social Welfare Reform and Impediments to Social Cohesion and Collective Action * Neoliberalism, Democracy, and the Transformation of State-Society Relations in Argentina * Neoliberalism, Democracy, and the Transformation of State-Society Relations in Mexico * Conclusion