MACMILLAN Assessing the Left Turn in Ecuador (Studies of the Americas)

This book examines the “left turn” in Latin American politics, specifically through the lens of Ecuador and the effects of the Citizens’ Revolution’s actions and public policies on relevant actors and institutions. Through a comprehensive analysis of one country’s turn to the left and the outcomes generated by that process, the authors and editors provide a clearer understanding of the ways in which the popular desire for change (predominant through the region in recent times, as a response to late-twentieth-century neoliberalism) was realized―or not. The particular case of Ecuador further potentiates analysis of the entire region-wide process, considering that the “corrector” cycle is now at an end, and that the economic and international conditions that favored the return of left governments have also changed. Review “This timely collection brings Ecuador's top scholars together to examine their country’s place in Latin America’s Left Turn. Under the controversial leadership of President Rafael Correa, Ecuador spent a decade in a purported Citizens’ Revolution. With precision and clarity, the book unpacks this multi-dimensional process―the ideas, policies, political style, and the toll that the Correa era took on Ecuador’s democracy. This stellar volume is foundational for understanding 21st century politics in the region.” (Catherine Conaghan, Professor of Political Studies, Queen's University, Canada) “This critical analysis of the Revolución Ciudadana provides a comprehensive view of Rafael Correa’s 10-year government, with detailed chapters covering institutional changes, corruption, gender, social movements, the commodities boom, education policy, and other themes. Not only does this account provide a welcome addition to a thin literature on Ecuador, it does so in a comparative and theoretical framework. As such, the manuscript gives the reader details about a particular popular and populist leftist government and tools to build a broader characterization of this regime type.” (Scott Morgenstern, Professor of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh, USA) From the Back Cover This book examines the “left turn” in Latin American politics, specifically through the lens of Ecuador and the effects of the Citizens’ Revolution’s actions and public policies on relevant actors and institutions. Through a comprehensive analysis of one country’s turn to the left and the outcomes generated by that process, the authors and editors provide a clearer understanding of the ways in which the popular desire for change (predominant through the region in recent times, as a response to late-twentieth-century neoliberalism) was realized―or not. The particular case of Ecuador further potentiates analysis of the entire region-wide process, considering that the “corrector” cycle is now at an end, and that the economic and international conditions that favored the return of left governments have also changed. Francisco Sánchez is Director of the Instituto de Iberoamérica and Associate Professor of Political Science, Universidad de Salamanca, Spain. Simón Pachano is Professor-Researcher of Political Science at FLACSO Ecuador, Ecuador. About the Author Francisco Sánchez is Director of the Instituto de Iberoamérica and Associate Professor of Political Science, Universidad de Salamanca, Spain. Simón Pachano is Professor-Researcher of Political Science at FLACSO Ecuador, Ecuador.