A “Left Turn” in Latin America? Explaining the Left’s Resurgence

Issue Date October 2006
Volume 17
Issue 4
Page Numbers 35-49
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The resurgence of leftist parties in recent Latin American elections is best understood as a regional wave, in which extreme socioeconomic inequality has generated broad support for leftist candidates in many countries, while international factors including the diffusion of democratic norms and increased economic integration have encouraged moderation among both leftist governments and their traditional antagonists. This leftward shift in electoral politics will most likely be an enduring feature of Latin America’s democratic future.

About the Author

Matthew R. Cleary is assistant professor of political science in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He studies Latin American politics and has recently published Democracy and the Culture of Skepticism: Political Trust in Argentina and Mexico (with Susan C. Stokes, 2006).

View all work by Matthew R. Cleary

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