Governance after Neoliberalism in Latin America

Two decades of neoliberalism in Latin America have left legacies of uneven growth, inequity and lackluster democracy. This book offers an original and grounded discussion of what governance after neoliberalism means in Latin America and examines how states are pursuing more independent development strategies and models of democracy.

In contrast to a globalizing approach to "transnational organized crime," this edited volume studies socio-historical environments in which mafia-esque violence has found a fertile ground for growth and development within the political arena. The various chapters explore empirical data showing how politico-criminal configurations emerge, are formed and allow for interactions between powerful official stakeholders and "professionals of the use of force". Links between military know-how and political power in Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey; the conversion of "violent entrepreneurs" into the Russian or Bulgarian political arena; the political racketeering activities of leaders of armed nationalist movements in Corsica; interactions between the Calabrese mafia and business; investment by the Belizean government in illegal activities; or else, monetary illegalism in the Somalia conflict... The various chapters of this book encourage a comparative approach to the study of mafia violence in the making and running of State power.