The Left in the City

The Left in the City
Participatory Local Governments in Latin America
Edited by Daniel Chavez and Benjamin Goldfrank
Foreword by Hilary Wainwright
Latin American Bureau and TNI, October 2004
ISBN 1899365 66 4

Spanish

The Left is back in Latin America, shout the headlines, but of course it never went away. Lula's and Chavez's victories in Brazil and Venezuela may have put the Left on the international map again, but it was achieved through many years of building power. The Left in the City explores examples of progressive parties in local office from across the continent, from Mexico to Uruguay and from Brazil to Peru, and examines the successes and failures of the Left in government.

"This book places politics rather than management at the centre of the local participatory governance debate. It provides a refreshing and critical look at the experiences of left parties in forging new and innovative styles of democracy in major Latinamerican cities. It deserves ample reading by students, practitioners and activists alike."

A.H.J. (Bert) Helmsing. Professor of Local and Regional Development, Institute of Social Studies and University of Utrecht, The Netherlands