Politics and economic change in Latin America

This book is about the political element in economic change in Latin America. It is not the final word on the subject, but an interim report on my own understanding of the problem at this time. The intention is not to end a discussion, but to begin one.

Although this book grows out of the widespread feeling that politics is a crucial factor in bringing about a better way of life in Latin America, it does not offer solutions to the problems. In no sense is it a "how to do it" manual for the foreign aid administrator or economic analyst. It is rather an attempt to explore the relationship between politics and development policy, and to see if there is a systematic way of understanding the impact that political forces and events have had on the formulation and execution of development policy in Latin America in the past generation.

Our theme is not how the political "obstacles" to development may be overcome. Politics is not, by definition, an obstacle. It is instead a process that has to do with how authority and power will be used by a community. For us, the very advocacy of means of bringing about economic development is part of that process, and we will examine such efforts as part of the total problem of how groups and individuals have sought to influence the uses of the potentialities of government in contemporary Latin America.