Transforming Labor-Based Parties in Latin America: Argentine Peronism in Comparative Perspective [Paperback]

Explains why some contemporary Latin American labor-based parties adapted successfully to the challenges of neoliberalism.This book seeks to explain why some contemporary Latin American labor-based parties adapted successfully to the challenges of neoliberalism and working class decline. It argues that loosely structured party organizations tend to be more flexible than the bureaucratic structures found in most labor-based parties. The argument is illustrated through an analysis of the Argentine (Peronist) Justicialista Party (PJ). The PJ adapted to the neoliberal challenge with striking success, transforming itself from a union-dominated populist party into a vehicle for carrying out radical market-oriented economic reforms. The book shows how the PJ's fluid internal structure made these radical changes possible.This book seeks to explain why some contemporary Latin American labor-based parties adapted successfully to the challenges of neoliberalism and working class decline. It argues that loosely structured party organizations tend to be more flexible than the bureaucratic structures found in most labor-based parties. The argument is illustrated through an analysis of the Argentine (Peronist) Justicialista Party (PJ). The PJ adapted to the neoliberal challenge with striking success, transforming itself from a union-dominated populist party into a vehicle for carrying out radical market-oriented economic reforms. The book shows how the PJ's fluid internal structure made these radical changes possible.This volume explains why some contemporary Latin American labor-based parties adapted successfully to the challenges of neoliberalism and working class decline. It argues that loosely structured party organizations tend to be more flexible than the bureaucratic structures found in most labor-based parties. The argument is illustrated through an analysis of the Argentine (Peronist) Justicialista Party (PJ). The book shows how PJ's fluid internal structure allowed