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922. Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Li Jinzhang on China's plans and strategy in Latin America.
- Publication Date:
- 06-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Americas Quarterly
- Institution:
- Council of the Americas
- Abstract:
- Americas Quarterly: Why is China today so interested economically in Latin America? Li Jinzhang: After 30 years of reform and economic opening, China has scored remarkable achievements in economic and social development, and its connections with the rest of the world have become closer. China needs the world to achieve development, and the world needs China as a contributor to development and stability. Latin America is an important part of the developing world. In recent years, China and Latin America have drawn on their respective strengths and economic complementarity. The result has been rapid growth in economic cooperation and trade, and a vigorous boost to their respective economies. These synergies have brought real benefits to our peoples and contributed to global development and stability. Moreover, the potential for future growth in cooperation and trade is huge. We hope to achieve mutually-beneficial cooperation and common development through closer economic cooperation and trade with the region.
- Political Geography:
- China, America, and Latin America
923. Immigration and Integration: The Role of the Private Sector
- Author:
- Alexandra Delano and Jason Marczak
- Publication Date:
- 06-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Americas Quarterly
- Institution:
- Council of the Americas
- Abstract:
- The 2010 U.S. Census results underlined not only the dramatic growth of the U.S. Hispanic population but its high mobility. In the last decade, data show that the number of Hispanics jumped by 43 percent—from 35.3 million in 2000 to 50.5 million in 2010—with this group accounting for over half of the total U.S. population increase. Latinos also continue to live in new destinations. Since 1990, the number of those living in the nine states with the historically highest concentrations of Hispanics shrank by 10 percentage points to a total of 76 percent. The rise of the Hispanic population, together with an immigrant population estimated at 38.5 million (of which more than half are from Latin America), continues to spark a variety of public policy and private-sector responses. The most worrisome has been the explosion of anti-immigrant bills in state legislatures, which claim to be reacting to the absence of nationwide comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) and lack of enforcement.
- Political Geography:
- United States and Latin America
924. Leftist Governments in Latin America: Successes and Shortcomings edited by Kurt Weyland, Raúl L. Madrid and Wendy Hunter
- Author:
- Eduardo Silva
- Publication Date:
- 06-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Americas Quarterly
- Institution:
- Council of the Americas
- Abstract:
- At the turn of the twenty-first century, the Latin American Left experienced an extraordinary revival, especially in South America. By 2009, eight South American countries and two Central American nations had elected left-wing governments. Is this revival a harbinger of a progressive renaissance or a throwback to failed experiments? Leftist Governments in Latin America: Successes and Shortcomings attempts to answer this question by analyzing the extent to which these governments have improved the livelihoods of their citizens. The seven essays that make up the volume, written by distinguished U.S. and Brazil-based scholars, provide a sharp, scholarly comparison of the outcomes achieved by governments of the moderate left and what coeditor Kurt Weyland of the University of Texas at Austin calls the “contestatory” or more radical left, in an introduction that lays out the theoretical framework. This book, which was also edited by Raúl L. Madrid and Wendy Hunter of the University of Texas, fills a critical gap in the burgeoning literature on the subject.
- Topic:
- Government
- Political Geography:
- United States, Brazil, and Latin America
925. The Sugar King of Havana: The Rise and Fall of Julio Lobo, Cuba's Last Tycoon by John Paul Rathbone
- Author:
- Rafael Rojas
- Publication Date:
- 06-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Americas Quarterly
- Institution:
- Council of the Americas
- Abstract:
- A common assumption is that the Cuban economic elite was universally opposed to the revolutionary government of Fidel Castro from the time it took power in January 1959. But The Sugar King of Havana: The Rise and Fall of Julio Lobo, Cuba's Last Tycoon shows otherwise. In his book, John Paul Rathbone, the Latin America editor at the Financial Times, paints a more nuanced picture of the Cuban bourgeoisie and, in particular, of Julio Lobo (1898–1983)— the great Cuban sugar tycoon of the first half of the twentieth century. Reading like an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel with scenes reminiscent of an Elia Kazan film, the book paints vivid descriptions of Lobo's life and Cuba in general with action on every page.
- Topic:
- Government
- Political Geography:
- Cuba and Latin America
926. La Rebelión de los Náufragos by Mirtha Rivero
- Author:
- Howard LaFranchi
- Publication Date:
- 06-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Americas Quarterly
- Institution:
- Council of the Americas
- Abstract:
- The modern tragic political figure is not just endemic to Latin America. The ignominious fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak—once a war hero to his countrymen—is the latest proof of this. But in her book, La Rebelión de los Náufragos (The Revolt of the Castaways), Venezuelan journalist Mirtha Rivero takes us back to the tragic story of a man who was once one of Latin America's most promising leaders, and who fell from power (like his modern counterparts) from a combination of pride and the failure to understand the yearnings of his compatriots. Carlos Andrés Pérez, re-elected in 1989 to a second term as Venezuela's president, embodied one of Latin America's first modern political tragedies. He was a democrat who was confident that his country (along with much of his region) had conquered its ghosts and was finally ready for governance by first-world standards such as fair elections, a competitive market-based economy and political parties focused more on national interests than on self-preservation.
- Topic:
- Markets
- Political Geography:
- Latin America
927. Honduras: Zelaya's return may spark instability
- Publication Date:
- 07-2011
- Content Type:
- Video
- Abstract:
- José Manuel Zelaya, former president of Honduras, returned to his country in May after the coup that ousted him in 2009. Since coming back, he has reentered politics and this has raised concerns that he may once again try and change the constitution. This could have severe implications for the operating environment in Honduras.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Development, International Trade and Finance, Markets, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Latin America
928. Índice de Percepción sobre la Gobernabilidad democrática (IPG). El caso de Zacatecas. Una herramienta para medir la calidad de la democracia.
- Author:
- Leonel Álvarez Yáñez, Guadalupe Margarita González Hernández, and Jesús Becerra Villegas
- Publication Date:
- 01-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- CONfines de Relaciones Internacionales y Ciencia Política
- Abstract:
- Este artículo expone una investigación en la que se propuso calcular la percepción de gobernabilidad democrática, otorgándole una alta significa - tividad para evaluar los cambios de la democracia en México. La medición combina la satisfacción de los ciudadanos con el desempeño de las insti - tuciones, sus gobernantes y ellos mismos (los ciudadanos) como actores activos para mejorar la democracia mexicana. A tal efecto, se propuso que el entrevistado hiciera una evaluación de la situación socioeconómica de su entorno, a fin de comprender su percepción sobre la efectividad del gobierno en lograr éxitos económicos.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Democratization, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Latin America
929. El cambio en el régimen de políticas a través de la crisis. Análisis del desempeño gubernamental frente a las crisis en Argentina, España y México.
- Author:
- Juan Carlos Montero Bagatella
- Publication Date:
- 05-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- CONfines de Relaciones Internacionales y Ciencia Política
- Abstract:
- Crises are unexpected events that trigger and enable change in the policy regime. To analyze how the policy paradigm changes, this paper analyzes three different crises: Argentina in 2000-2003, Spain in 2008-2011, and Mexico in 1994-1996. The question of the article is: How does crisis trigger change in the policy regime? To answer, is shown that crisis destroy the preexisting government's coalitions, enable the formation of new coalitions that face the crisis that are also substituted after the crisis for a new coalition to institutionalize the new policy paradigm.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Politics, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Latin America and Mexico
930. La disputa por la mediación durante el kirchnerismo en Argentina.
- Author:
- Lucía Vincent
- Publication Date:
- 05-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- CONfines de Relaciones Internacionales y Ciencia Política
- Abstract:
- Nestor Kirchner, the ex Argentinean President, developed a unique and new way of relating with the press, totally divergent from the method that previous democratic governments used to have. Through the analysis of Kirchner´ speeches, this article will illustrate in which way the president aimed to weaken the media, removing them from their position as the “forth power” and “objective mediators” between the government and the citizens. Those transformations are due to the conditions in which he developed a specific type of leadership. Those changes, also, had consequences in the political representation and in the current characteristics of the democratic system in Argentina.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Democratization, Politics, and Mass Media
- Political Geography:
- Argentina and Latin America
931. Korea, Colombia, Panama: Pending Trade Accords Offer Economic and Strategic Gains for the United States
- Author:
- Mauricio Cá¡rdenas and Joshua Meltzer
- Publication Date:
- 07-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- A trio of trade agreements now pending before Congress would benefit the United States both economically and strategically. Carefully developed accords with South Korea, Colombia and Panama will boost U.S. exports significantly, especially in the key automotive, agricultural and commercial services sectors. Among the other benefits are: increased U.S. competitiveness enhancement of U.S. diplomatic and economic postures in East Asia and Latin America new investment opportunities better enforcement of labor regulation and improved transparency in these trading partners' regulatory systems.
- Topic:
- Diplomacy, Economics, International Trade and Finance, Treaties and Agreements, and Labor Issues
- Political Geography:
- Kenya, United States, Israel, Colombia, and Latin America
932. Private School Chains in Chile: Do Better Schools Scale Up?
- Author:
- Gregory Elacqua, Humberto Santos, Dante Contreras, and Felipe Salazar
- Publication Date:
- 08-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- There is a persistent debate over the role of scale of operations in education. Some argue that school franchises offer educational services more effectively than do small independent schools. Skeptics counter that large, centralized operations create hard-to-manage bureaucracies and foster diseconomies of scale and that small schools are more effective at promoting higher-quality education. The answer to this question has profound implications for U.S. education policy, because reliably scaling up the best schools has proven to be a particularly difficult problem. If there are policies that would make it easier to replicate the most effective schools, systemwide educational quality could be improved substantially.
- Topic:
- Development, Education, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- United States, Latin America, and Chile
933. Decoupling Trade from Politics: The EU and Region-Building in the Andes
- Author:
- Miguel Haubrich Seco
- Publication Date:
- 07-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Istituto Affari Internazionali
- Abstract:
- In its external relations, the EU advances regional cooperation as a successful means of achieving peace and prosperity. In doing so, the EU promotes its own model as the most successful case of regional integration. A wide-reaching set of instruments, spanning from trade to political dialogue and aid, is used to promote regional cooperation and integration. Noneheless, regional organisations supported by the EU are far from accomplishing their set objectives. Using as a test case the Andean Community, the oldest Latin American regional organisation and a prominent case of EU support for regional integration, this paper examines the reasons behind the EU's lack of impact in promoting regional integration. Stemming from this analysis, the paper proposes a recalibration of EU policy by decoupling trade relations from political engagement and by increasing support for physical and visible integration as opposed to formal institutions detached from the perceived needs of the public.
- Topic:
- Economics, International Trade and Finance, and Regional Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Latin America
934. Violence and Politics in Venezuela
- Publication Date:
- 08-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- Every half hour, a person is killed in Venezuela. The presence of organised crime combined with an enormous number of firearms in civilian hands and impunity, as well as police corruption and brutality, have entrenched violence in society. While such problems did not begin with President Hugo Chávez, his government has to account for its ambiguity towards various armed groups, its inability or unwillingness to tackle corruption and criminal complicity in parts of the security forces, its policy to arm civilians “in defence of the revolution”, and – last but not least – the president's own confrontational rhetoric. Positive steps such as constructive engagement with Colombia as well as some limited security reform do not compensate for these failures. While the prospect of presidential elections in 2012 could postpone social explosion, the deterioration of the president's health has added considerable uncertainty. In any event, the degree of polarisation and militarisation in society is likely to undermine the chances for either a non-violent continuation of the current regime or a peaceful transition to a post-Chávez era.
- Topic:
- Security, Political Violence, Corruption, and Crime
- Political Geography:
- Latin America and Venezuela
935. The ABCs of the General Capital Increase (ABCs of IFIs Brief)
- Author:
- Todd Moss, Sarah Jane Staats, and Julia Barmeier
- Publication Date:
- 09-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development (CGD)
- Abstract:
- The international financial institutions dramatically increased their lending in 2008–09 to help developing countries cope with the global financial crisis and support economic recovery. Today, these organizations are seeking billions of dollars in new funding. The IMF, which only a few years ago was losing clients and shedding staff, expanded by $750 billion in 2009. The World Bank and the four regional development banks for Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America have asked to increase their capital base by 30 to 200 percent. A general capital increase (GCI) for these development banks is an unusual request. A simultaneous GCI request is a oncein- a-generation occurrence.
- Topic:
- Development, Foreign Aid, and Financial Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Ethiopia
936. Sports Populism
- Author:
- Simon Kuper
- Publication Date:
- 06-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Americas Quarterly
- Institution:
- Council of the Americas
- Abstract:
- Fans like their teams—but not necessarily the politicians who support them.
- Topic:
- Economics
- Political Geography:
- Latin America
937. Is the OAS Irrelevant?
- Author:
- Anthony DePalma
- Publication Date:
- 06-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Americas Quarterly
- Institution:
- Council of the Americas
- Abstract:
- Old burdens, new challenges.
- Topic:
- Sovereignty
- Political Geography:
- Latin America
938. Covering Sports in Latin America
- Author:
- Lisa Delpy Neirotti and Jeffrey Bliss
- Publication Date:
- 06-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Americas Quarterly
- Institution:
- Council of the Americas
- Abstract:
- The fierce battle over sports media rights.
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Latin America
939. GOOOOOOL...for Development
- Author:
- Fabian Koss
- Publication Date:
- 06-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Americas Quarterly
- Institution:
- Council of the Americas
- Abstract:
- Getting kids in the game—and out of trouble.
- Topic:
- Security
- Political Geography:
- Latin America
940. Baseball's Newest Farm System
- Author:
- Richard Feinberg
- Publication Date:
- 06-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Americas Quarterly
- Institution:
- Council of the Americas
- Abstract:
- A Nicaraguan baseball academy offers more than just hitting and fielding.
- Political Geography:
- Latin America