Ch. 1. The Puzzle of Risky Reforms in Unstable Democracies -- Ch. 2. The Insufficiency of Existing Arguments -- Ch. 3. A New Explanation of Adjustment Politics -- Ch. 4. Economic Deterioration and Postponed Adjustment in the 1980s -- Ch. 5. The Initiation of Neoliberal Adjustment -- Ch. 6. Populist Politics and Economic Restructuring -- Ch. 7. The Political Sustainability of Neoliberalism and Neopopulism in Argentina and Peru -- Ch. 8. The Fitful Course of Market Reform in Brazil and Venezuela -- Ch. 9. Theoretical Implications and Cross-Regional Perspectives
Summary
"This book takes a new approach to a question central to comparative politics and economics. Why do some leaders of fragile democracies attain political success - culminating in reelection victories - when pursuing drastic, painful economic reforms while others see their political careers implode, Kurt Weyland examines, in particular, the surprising willingness of presidents in low Latin American countries to enact daring reforms and the unexpected resultant popular support. He argues that only with the robust cognitive-psychological insights of prospect theory can one fully account for the twists and turns of politics and economic policy in Argentina, Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela during the 1980s and 1990s."--Cover
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-323) and index
