Abstract

LEVITSKY, Steven  and  MAINWARING, Scott. Movimiento obrero organizado y democracia en América Latina. Postdata [online]. 2007, n.12, pp.107-138. ISSN 1851-9601.

This paper re-examines the relationship between organized labor and democracy in Latin America. Several influential scholars have argued that organized labor is consistent champion of democracy and that consequently, strong labor movements make democratic outcomes more likely. We show that evidence from Latin America calls these claims into question and that organized labor has frequently supported non-democratic regimes. We then seek to explain variation in labor support for democracy in post-1945 Latin America. Based on a comparative analysis of nine countries in Latin America, we argue that labor movements' regime orientation hinged on two factors: the nature of their partisan alliances and the perceived regime alternatives.

Keywords : Organized labor; Democracy; Latin America; Partisan alliances; Regime alternatives.