Introduction to the comparative analysis

Juan Cruz Ferre

Chapter 4 in The Political Economy of Welfare in Latin America, 2026, pp 105-130 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter provides an important historical background for the three countries selected for the comparative historical analysis: Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile. Argentina and Uruguay suffered deep economic and political crises with a deleterious impact on the legitimacy of state institutions, conditioning public policy during the entire period that followed. Chile's political context, in contrast, is characterized by stability until the late 2010s. In terms of the balance of power between classes, Argentina and Uruguay boast strong labor organizations, relatively high union density, and high levels of mobilization. In Chile, in contrast, the working class is overall weaker. The business class achieved a high level of coordination and cohesion in Chile, while it is relatively fragmented in the cases of Argentina and Uruguay. Lastly, some characteristics of the party in power exert an impact on the evolution of social policy and are analyzed in some detail in this chapter.

Keywords: Uruguay; Argentina; Chile; Comparative historical analysis; Pink Tide; Crisis of legitimacy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035371334
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