This collection of works by prominent Latin Americanists explores the social and political dynamics of this important region in transition to a post-neoliberal era. The first part deals with the intensifying regional crisis created by neoliberal policies, showing how regime stability has been broadly undermined, with specific attention given to the cases of Panama and Argentina. In the second part, a sympathetic yet critical evaluation is offered on the diverse development strategies that have been pursued by four leftist governments in power, namely, Cuba, Brazil, Venezuela and Uruguay. In the final section, various aspects of the constraints facing the region are discussed and consideration is extended to some of the emerging social movements that seek to radically transform Latin America.

Richard A. Dello Buono, Ph.D. (1986) in Sociology is Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology, Manhattan College. He has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Havana, National University of Colombia, Autonomous University of Zacatecas and a Fulbright Professor at the University of Panama. His research areas include comparative social problems and Latin American/Caribbean Studies.

José Bell Lara is a Cuban Sociologist and Professor at the University of Havana. As a Senior Researcher in the FLACSO-Cuba Program, he has conducted various studies concerning development, social change and social policies in Cuba and Latin America. He has lectured extensively in Latin America, Europe and North America over a period of decades and has been a Visiting Professor at universities in Chile, Canada, Panama and Mexico.