World economic cycles and Central American political instability

In: World politics: a quarterly journal of international relations, Band 42, Heft 3, S. 397-421

Abstract

This article explores the parameters of choice available to small developing countries within the constraints imposed by the international economic system. Its thesis is that, since the 1930s, world economic recessions have helped accelerate waves of social discontent, political instability, and repression within the Central American nations. The author also discusses the dynamics of leadership transfer in the region and makes policy recommendations about how to minimize the negative impact of world economic cycles