Search results

The theme of the 2016 annual meeting of the American Political Science Association was a call for us to think about "Great Transformations," so this is a very good time to revisit Ruth Berins Collier and David Collier's masterwork on critical junctures and their aftermath. There is no doubt that during the past thirty years, Latin America has experienced "great transformations." The debt crisis and neoliberal reforms of the 1980s and 1990s arguably constituted a new critical juncture. But Latin American political life has been shaken in the twenty-first century as well by a succession of new global shocks: the Great Recession; the rise (and decline) of China as a demandeur of Latin American exports and a source of investment; and the challenges to global democracy posed by the profound tremors in the European Union and the dysfunction of democratic politics in the United States.

O artigo aborda a contribuição de três diferentes perspectivas teóricas— o institucionalismo da economia política (IEP), o institucionalismo da escolha racional (IER) e o institucionalismo da sociologia (IS) — para a compreensão dos desdobramentos da organização estatal e das políticas de reforma do aparelho do Estado. Tais perspectivas são complementares ou excludentes, mas cada uma oferece explicações diferentes sobre atores, preferências e dificuldades a serem enfrentadas. O texto explica algumas das hipóteses sobre reforma do Estado, contidas em cada perspectiva, observando as suas vantagens e limitações, e fornece também uma avaliação preliminar da relevância teórica de cada uma para a pesquisa empírica na América Latina e Europa Oriental.

An unequal distribution of income and wealth is an inherent feature of all complex societies, and up to a point, a desirable one. A highly skewed distribution, however, raises questions of serious moral and practical concern: To what extent does socioeconomic inequality undermine the principle of political equality on which democratic societies are based? Under what conditions does it lead to lead to political polarization that retards economic growth or threatens the stability of democratic institutions? And under what circumstances do distributive struggles become the basis for violent social protest or rebellion?

Looks at the age-old question of redistribution of wealth in society from the haves to the have-nots. Considers the numerous reasons for and objections to such redistributions, the ways in which Marx and Engels were right in some ways, and reasons that voters tend to ignore or are not aware of distribution inequality. Citing numerous studies throughout the article, also looks at which nations are most pro-redistribution and the nation most against it; the disconnect twixt expectations and social mobility patterns; and the use of political sociology as a means of understanding opinions about inequality. Adapted from the source document.