Transforming Labor-Based Parties in Latin America: Argentine Peronism in Comparative PerspectiveWhy did some Latin American labor-based parties adapt successfully to the contemporary challenges of neoliberalism and working class decline while others did not? Drawing on a detailed study of the Argentine Peronism, as well as a broader comparative analysis, this book develops an organizational approach to party change. Levitsky's study breaks new ground in its focus on informal and weakly institutionalized party structures. It argues that loosely structured party organizations, such as those found in many populist labor-based parties, are often better equipped to adapt to rapid environmental change than are more bureaucratic labor-based parties. The argument is illustrated in the case of Peronism, a mass labor-based party with a highly fluid internal structure. The book shows how this weakly routinized structure allowed party reformers to undertake a set of far-reached coalitional and programmatic changes that enabled Peronism to survive, and even thrive, in the neoliberal era. |
Contents
LaborBased Party Adaptation in the Neoliberal Era Rethinking the Role of Party Organization | 1 |
Origins and Evolution of a Mass Populist Party | 35 |
An Organized Disorganization The Peronist Party Structure in the 19908 | 58 |
Populism in Crisis Environmental Change and Party Failure 19831985 | 91 |
From Labor Politics to Machine Politics The Transformation of the Peronist PartyUnion Linkage | 107 |
Menemism and Neoliberalism Programmatic Adaptation in the 19905 | 144 |
A View from Below Party Activists and the Transformation of BaseLevel Peronism | 186 |
The Paradox of Menemism Party Adaptation and Regime Stability in the 1990s | 217 |
Crisis Party Adaptation and Democracy Argentina in Comparative Perspective | 231 |
| 251 | |
| 271 | |
Other editions - View all
Transforming Labor-Based Parties in Latin America: Argentine Peronism in ... Steven Levitsky No preview available - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
agrupaciones Antonio Cafiero APRA Argentine Author's interview autonomy base units bosses branches Cafiero candidate Carlos Carlos Menem Clarín coalition council member created crisis democracy democratic Duhalde economic Eduardo electoral example factions Federal Capital FREPASO García government's governors Greater Buenos Aires Grosso institutionalization internal elections intraparty José Luis Manzano Juan July June La Matanza labor labor-based parties Latin America legislative linkages lower-class machine politics Matanza McGuire Menem government Menem program Menemist movement National Council neighborhood neoliberal November October organizational Orthodox Ostiguy participation party adaptation party congress party leaders party leadership party organization party president party structure party system party's patronage percent Perón Peronism Peronism's Peronist party Pierri PJ leaders PJ's policies populist presidential programmatic punteros Quilmes reforms regime Santiago del Estero sector social Sota stable strategies survey tercio traditional union leaders unionists urban Vicente Saadi vote voters weakly routinized workers union working-class