Neoliberalism and class conflict in Latin America

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John Gibler

From the Publisher: Mexico Unconquered is an evocative report on the powers of violence and corruption in Mexico and the rebel underdogs who put their lives on the line to build justice from the ground up. Mexico Unconquered probes the overwhelming divisions in contemporary Mexico, home to the world's richest man, Carlos Slim, and to destitute millions. John Gibler weaves narrative journalism with lyrical descriptions, combining the journalist's trade of walking the streets and the philosopher's task of drawing out the tremendous implications of the seemingly mundane.

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Lewis W. Snider

Why have so many attempts by developing countries to correct their financial insolvency by economic adjustment failed even when those nations have adhered closely to the "orthodox" economic prescriptions dispensed by the International Monetary Fund? Does the fault lie in policies that are poorly conceived or implemented haphazardly or in too much government intervention in the economy? In this fascinating book, Lewis Snider convincingly argues the opposite - that problems arise not because the government is involved but because the way it intervenes is often counter-productive. In addition, he contends that political weakness, rather than misconceived policies or the inability of policymakers to foresee the consequences of their decisions, most often prevents leaders from successfully implementing economic reforms. Snider's analysis focuses on three problems common to poor countries: an inability to extract sufficient resources from society; a lack of credible political and economic institutions; and as a natural outcome of these two, covert income and profit transfers that in turn serve to reinforce the institutional credibility problem. How can this vicious circle be broken? Drawing on examples and evidence from around the world, Snider demonstrates that the state must first improve its institutional credibility in the form of secure property rights and reliable contract enforcement. Only then will it be able to increase its extraction while holding down transaction costs at the level necessary for economic adjustment to succeed.

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G.S. Aurora

Contributed articles presented earlier at a seminar on rural poor in South Indian states and the influence of structural adjustment policies of Indian government post 1991.

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Norton Garfinkle and Daniel Yankelovich

In 'Uniting America', some of the most prominent US social thinkers reject the myth of polarisation, arguing that there are sensible centrist solutions more in keeping with public sentiment and that would better serve the national interest.