Real World Latin America: A Contemporary Economics and Social Policy Reader [Paperback]

The Dollars & Sense Collective (Author), NACLA Report on the Americas (Author), Daniel Fireside (Editor), Pablo Morales (Editor), Alejandro Reuss (Editor), Chris Tilly (Editor), Christy Thornton (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2009

Looking for diverse perspectives to explain the profound economic and social transformations taking place in Latin America? Real World Latin America brings together the best recent reporting on the region from Dollars & Sense and NACLA Report on the Americas. Thirty-eight well-researched and clearly-written articles will give students a thorough introduction to Latin American economic policies, including the region's changing political maps, the hidden costs of development, struggles for human rights, international trade deals, and the role of the United States in the region. Chapters on social movements and alternative forms of production document the grassroots challenges to the Washington Consensus that are rising from Argentine factory shop-floors, Venezuelan cooperatives, Oaxacan schoolrooms, and elsewhere. Further chapters look at the impact of migration on home countries and diasporan communities, and the challenges of responsible environmental stewardship. Praise for Real World Latin America: "The editors of Dollars & Sense and NACLA Report on the Americas have done us a great service. This is a timely collection of essays, sophisticated yet highly readable analysis of the most pressing issues facing Latin America today. The book is ideally suited for undergraduate courses on the region, and will be of interest to a broader readership as well." -Eric Hershberg, President, Latin American Studies Association "Latin America is on the move, finding its way towards new approaches to economic development with social justice. Real World Latin America provides a compelling picture of change, political conflict, and the real stakes involved in the region. It is a valuable guide to the contemporary history of the present, inviting readers to stay tuned for more to come." -Michael A Cohen, Director of the International Affairs Program, New School University

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a timely and invaluable overview of current political, economic, social and cultural dynamics in Latin America. It brings together an impressive array of experts who write in a concise and accessible manner on a wide range of topics that define the current Latin American and hemispheric reality. Here the reader will find analysis and context for making sense of today's headlines. I cannot imagine a more important collection for classroom use and for readers from the general public interested in understanding contemporary Latin America. --William I. Robinson, Professor of Sociology, Global Studies, and Latin American Studies, University of California at Santa Barbara, and author of Latin America and Global Capitalism

Real World Latin America is an excellent collection of articles, providing students with insightful critiques of Latin American political, economic and social issues. As Latin America continues to undergo dramatic changes and as the relations between the region and the United States continue to be of great importance, students need to hear alternative voices. This collection provides those voices, presenting the issues in an accessible and engaging manner. Real World Latin America will be extremely valuable for students in Latin American studies courses, but also for students with broad interests in international affairs. --Arthur MacEwan, Professor of Economics (Emeritus), University of Massachusetts Boston

Real World Latin America is an ideal survey text for introductory Latin American studies courses. It covers the vital issues of the region, including democratization, the rise of the Left, economic reform, US-Latin American relations, and migration and its political consequences. Moreover, the volume's breadth takes into account the region's vast diversity and deep-seated inequalities along the lines of class, race/ethnicity, and gender. The two well-respected publications from which the collection is drawn, Dollars & Sense and NACLA Report on the Americas, offer critical perspectives informed by their long-standing expertise in the region. --Elisabeth Jay Friedman, Chair, Latin American Studies, University of San Francisco

About the Author

Real World Latin America's engaging articles are drawn from the pages of Dollars & Sense, the award-winning magazine of popular economics, and NACLA Report on the Americas. Dollars & Sense also publishes Real World Micro, Real World Macro, Current Economic Issues, The Wealth Inequality Reader, Real World Globalization, Grassroots Journalism, Striking a Balance: Work, Family, Life, Real World Banking and Finance, The Environment in Crisis, Introduction to Political Economy, and Unlevel Playing Fields: Understanding Wage Inequality and Discrimination. The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA) is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1966 that works toward a world in which the nations and peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean are free from oppression and injustice, and enjoy a relationship with the United States based on mutual respect, free from economic and political subordination. To that end, our mission is to provide information and analysis on the region, and on its complex and changing relationship with the United States, as tools for education and advocacy-to foster knowledge beyond borders.

Product Details

• Paperback: 286 pages
• Publisher: Dollars & Sense; 1st edition (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878585738
• ISBN-13: 978-1878585738
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,302,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great collection highly popular with students, May 27, 2009

By 

Latin American politics - See all my reviews

This review is from: Real World Latin America: A Contemporary Economics and Social Policy Reader (Paperback)

This book is highly recommended, and tested in combat: For a class on Latin American politics I assigned it next to a more traditional textbook and other readings, with several reasons in mind. I wanted to introduce students to the amazing variety of current issues in Latin American politics, which this reader certainly does; I wanted to us the book as a tool for the students to find inspiration for a final research paper, which according to student feedback also worked very well; and I wanted to move a bit beyond the traditional political science literature, toward what are indeed the "real world" issues of the region today, which is something I find the book does admirably. It is highly recommended as a supplemental text for courses in politics, and will likely serve as a great instructional tool far beyond this discipline as well.