{"title":"Liquid Regionalism in the Americas: An Analysis of Contemporary Regional Developments By \u0000 Karina Pasquariello Mariano, \u0000 Regiane Nitsch Bressan, and \u0000 Bruno Theodoro Luciano, Cham: Springer Cham, 2025, 157 PP. €128.39, Hardcover; €39.99, Paperback","authors":"Santiago Olarte","doi":"10.1111/lamp.70040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/lamp.70040","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":42501,"journal":{"name":"Latin American Policy","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145984005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The rise of ride-hailing platforms has profoundly transformed urban mobility in Latin America over the past decade. Transportation Network Companies such as Uber, DiDi, Cabify, InDrive, and others operating in the region have affected transportation patterns and intensified debates around labor relations, algorithmic management, regulatory challenges, and urban sustainability. This article examines the trajectories of platform regulation in Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica through the lens of platform-policy frictions, highlighting the tensions and negotiations between the aspirations of platform capitalism and the particularities of local environments. More than 10 years after Transportation Network Companies arrived in the region, Chile has enacted a regulatory framework, whereas Colombia and Costa Rica continue to grapple with legislative inertia and fragmented policy responses. The study introduces the concept of the “De Facto Deregulation Trap” to explain how institutional fragmentation, political stalemate, and stakeholder strategies perpetuate indefinite regulatory uncertainty. The research highlights how regulatory outcomes on platform regulation depend on political negotiations, institutional capacities, and stakeholder power dynamics. The findings contribute to the literature on platform governance by demonstrating how frictions operate as barriers to regulation and arenas for contestation and adaptation in the Global South, offering valuable lessons for global tech policy and digital change.
{"title":"The Long and Winding Road: Policy Frictions and the Governance of Ride-Hailing Platforms in Latin America","authors":"Ronald Sáenz-Leandro","doi":"10.1111/lamp.70039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/lamp.70039","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The rise of ride-hailing platforms has profoundly transformed urban mobility in Latin America over the past decade. Transportation Network Companies such as Uber, DiDi, Cabify, InDrive, and others operating in the region have affected transportation patterns and intensified debates around labor relations, algorithmic management, regulatory challenges, and urban sustainability. This article examines the trajectories of platform regulation in Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica through the lens of platform-policy frictions, highlighting the tensions and negotiations between the aspirations of platform capitalism and the particularities of local environments. More than 10 years after Transportation Network Companies arrived in the region, Chile has enacted a regulatory framework, whereas Colombia and Costa Rica continue to grapple with legislative inertia and fragmented policy responses. The study introduces the concept of the “De Facto Deregulation Trap” to explain how institutional fragmentation, political stalemate, and stakeholder strategies perpetuate indefinite regulatory uncertainty. The research highlights how regulatory outcomes on platform regulation depend on political negotiations, institutional capacities, and stakeholder power dynamics. The findings contribute to the literature on platform governance by demonstrating how frictions operate as barriers to regulation and arenas for contestation and adaptation in the Global South, offering valuable lessons for global tech policy and digital change.</p>","PeriodicalId":42501,"journal":{"name":"Latin American Policy","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/lamp.70039","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145983789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
<p>Our last Latin American Policy (LAP) issue for this year offers critical perspectives on the political, economic, and social dynamics shaping Latin America today. The articles presented delve into crucial areas—from governance and technology policy to environmental sustainability and foreign relations—, providing essential insight into the region's contemporary challenges and transformations.</p><p>We open the issue with a thought-provoking analysis by Muhammet Derviş Mete in “Video Assistant Referendums (VAR): A Populist Weapon or Effective Tool to Stop Autocrats in Competitive Authoritarian Regimes in Latin America?”. The author argues controversially that constitutional referendums play a corrective role in competitive authoritarian regimes, much like the VAR system in sports, by challenging entrenched rulers in contexts like Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador.</p><p>Roberto Duran-Fernandez and Taciana de Carvalho Coutinho explore the profound environmental and developmental puzzle of one of the world's most significant ecological regions in “Amazonia: A Puzzle Between Development and Sustainability?” The text examines the paradox of Amazonia's wealth in biodiversity versus its deep social and economic marginalization, arguing that sustainable development is already underway in grassroots initiatives but requires fundamental institutional transformation.</p><p>Moving to urban policy and technology, Ronald Sáenz-Leandro presents “The Long and Winding Road: Policy Frictions and the Governance of Ride-hailing Platforms in Latin America.” This study analyzes the regulation trajectories of ride-hailing platforms in Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica, introducing the concept of the “De Facto Deregulation Trap” to explain how institutional fragmentation perpetuates indefinite regulatory uncertainty.</p><p>The focus then shifts to foreign policy in “From Ideology to Pragmatism: Domestic Challenges Shaping Foreign Policy in Latin America's New Left,” by Juan Pablo Sims, Brice Tseen Fu, Lee, Yun-Tso Lee, and Daniela Catalina Cerda. This piece argues that the current resurgence of left-wing governments since 2018 diverges from the original Pink Tide, with economic difficulties and escalating crime rates compelling these administrations toward more pragmatic and nationally focused foreign policies.</p><p>Next, Maximiliano Facundo Vila Seoane contributes “Technology policy maneuvers amid hegemonic pressures: The digital TV and radio spectrum policy in Argentina.” The article introduces the concept of <i>technology policy maneuver</i> to understand how peripheral states respond to hegemonic pressures when choosing technology policies, using Argentine telecommunications choices—including digital TV, 5G, and Wi-Fi 6—as illustrative examples.</p><p>Luis Rivera-Vélez and María Cecilia Díaz offer “Constructing Policy Paradigms Through Implementation: Medical Cannabis Reforms in Colombia and Argentina.” Drawing on the policy paradigms framework, the authors show tha
我们今年的最后一期《拉丁美洲政策》（LAP）对塑造当今拉丁美洲的政治、经济和社会动态提出了批判性观点。这些文章深入探讨了从治理和技术政策到环境可持续性和外交关系等关键领域，为该地区当前面临的挑战和转型提供了重要见解。我们以穆罕默德·德尔维伊·米特在《视频辅助公投（VAR）：在拉丁美洲竞争性威权政体中阻止独裁者的民粹主义武器还是有效工具》一文中进行的发人深思的分析作为这个问题的开场白。作者有争议地认为，宪法公投在竞争性威权政权中发挥了纠正作用，就像体育中的VAR系统一样，通过挑战委内瑞拉、玻利维亚和厄瓜多尔等国根深蒂固的统治者。罗伯托·杜兰-费尔南德斯和塔西安娜·德·卡瓦略·库蒂尼奥在《亚马逊：发展与可持续性之间的谜题？》一书中探讨了世界上最重要的生态地区之一的深刻的环境和发展难题。本文考察了亚马逊地区丰富的生物多样性与其严重的社会和经济边缘化之间的矛盾，认为可持续发展已经在基层倡议中进行，但需要根本性的制度转型。在城市政策和技术方面，Ronald Sáenz-Leandro提出了“漫长而曲折的道路：拉丁美洲的政策摩擦和网约车平台的治理”。本研究分析了智利、哥伦比亚和哥斯达黎加网约车平台的监管轨迹，引入了“事实上的放松管制陷阱”的概念，以解释制度碎片化如何使无限期的监管不确定性持续存在。然后焦点转移到外交政策，在Juan Pablo Sims、Brice Tseen Fu、Lee、Yun-Tso Lee和Daniela Catalina Cerda合著的《从意识形态到实用主义：拉丁美洲新左派外交政策的国内挑战》一书中。本文认为，自2018年以来，左翼政府的复苏与最初的“粉红潮”有所不同，经济困难和犯罪率上升迫使这些政府采取更务实、更以国家为中心的外交政策。接下来，Maximiliano Facundo Vila Seoane撰写了“霸权压力下的技术政策策略：阿根廷的数字电视和无线电频谱政策”。本文介绍了技术政策操纵的概念，以了解外围国家在选择技术政策时如何应对霸权压力，并以阿根廷的电信选择（包括数字电视、5G和Wi-Fi 6）为例进行说明。Luis rivera - vacimlez和María Cecilia Díaz提供“通过实施构建政策范例：哥伦比亚和阿根廷的医用大麻改革”。根据政策范例框架，作者表明，两国的医用大麻改革都是在实施过程中逐步调整的，中层官僚和民间社会行动者重塑了合法使用的政策目标和理念。然后，David Silva guti<s:1> -理所应的，Zeus Hiram Zamora-Guevara， Juan Roberto Vargas Sánchez和Zeus Hernández Veleros在“墨西哥能源民族主义的复苏：能源部门的经典目的，历史障碍和绿色机遇”中研究了所谓的“自然资源民族主义”的复苏。文章分析了墨西哥政府2018年恢复能源部门作为经济引擎作用的措施的影响，指出尽管一些结构性问题略有改善，但能源转型已被推迟。最后，Ramón González Viramontes和Jorge A. Schiavon在“墨西哥在美国的领事游说：解释领事身份证的接受”中分析了外交努力。作者探讨了墨西哥领事馆网络为获得Matrícula领事身份而使用的成功游说策略，领事身份为墨西哥国民，特别是无证移民提供了一种有效的身份证明形式。本期还包括两篇及时的评论文章。Robert A. Blecker, Juan Carlos Moreno-Brid， Edgar psamrez - medina和Fernando Ricalde-Zamora在《美墨加贸易协定审查和墨西哥经济：在重新谈判和不确定状态之间》中发表了看法。他们认为，特朗普在2025年重新当选总统，并将商业保护主义作为其经济政策的核心工具，对美墨加贸易协定的运作和前景，以及更广泛地对墨西哥出口导向型增长战略造成了沉重打击。安德里亚·奥尔斯纳的《自由秩序的终结——什么自由秩序？》《非自由世界的和平与冲突》，她在书中认为，在后冷战时代到来时，自由主义的国际秩序已经在衰落。 最后，我们的问题以Raúl Aldaz Peña对路易斯·舍诺尼（Luis Schenoni, 2024）的《带回战争：胜利、失败和19世纪拉丁美洲的国家》（2024）的书评作为结束。我们希望这本合集能激发辩论，加深对今天拉丁美洲面临的多方面挑战和机构的理解。伊西德罗·莫拉莱斯（Isidro Morales），主编，社会科学与政府学院退休教授（网址：Tecnológico de Monterrey），莱斯大学贝克研究所墨西哥-美国中心外部研究员。
{"title":"Current Hot Topics in Latin America Are Covered From the Policy Angle","authors":"Isidro Morales","doi":"10.1111/lamp.70038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/lamp.70038","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Our last Latin American Policy (LAP) issue for this year offers critical perspectives on the political, economic, and social dynamics shaping Latin America today. The articles presented delve into crucial areas—from governance and technology policy to environmental sustainability and foreign relations—, providing essential insight into the region's contemporary challenges and transformations.</p><p>We open the issue with a thought-provoking analysis by Muhammet Derviş Mete in “Video Assistant Referendums (VAR): A Populist Weapon or Effective Tool to Stop Autocrats in Competitive Authoritarian Regimes in Latin America?”. The author argues controversially that constitutional referendums play a corrective role in competitive authoritarian regimes, much like the VAR system in sports, by challenging entrenched rulers in contexts like Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador.</p><p>Roberto Duran-Fernandez and Taciana de Carvalho Coutinho explore the profound environmental and developmental puzzle of one of the world's most significant ecological regions in “Amazonia: A Puzzle Between Development and Sustainability?” The text examines the paradox of Amazonia's wealth in biodiversity versus its deep social and economic marginalization, arguing that sustainable development is already underway in grassroots initiatives but requires fundamental institutional transformation.</p><p>Moving to urban policy and technology, Ronald Sáenz-Leandro presents “The Long and Winding Road: Policy Frictions and the Governance of Ride-hailing Platforms in Latin America.” This study analyzes the regulation trajectories of ride-hailing platforms in Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica, introducing the concept of the “De Facto Deregulation Trap” to explain how institutional fragmentation perpetuates indefinite regulatory uncertainty.</p><p>The focus then shifts to foreign policy in “From Ideology to Pragmatism: Domestic Challenges Shaping Foreign Policy in Latin America's New Left,” by Juan Pablo Sims, Brice Tseen Fu, Lee, Yun-Tso Lee, and Daniela Catalina Cerda. This piece argues that the current resurgence of left-wing governments since 2018 diverges from the original Pink Tide, with economic difficulties and escalating crime rates compelling these administrations toward more pragmatic and nationally focused foreign policies.</p><p>Next, Maximiliano Facundo Vila Seoane contributes “Technology policy maneuvers amid hegemonic pressures: The digital TV and radio spectrum policy in Argentina.” The article introduces the concept of <i>technology policy maneuver</i> to understand how peripheral states respond to hegemonic pressures when choosing technology policies, using Argentine telecommunications choices—including digital TV, 5G, and Wi-Fi 6—as illustrative examples.</p><p>Luis Rivera-Vélez and María Cecilia Díaz offer “Constructing Policy Paradigms Through Implementation: Medical Cannabis Reforms in Colombia and Argentina.” Drawing on the policy paradigms framework, the authors show tha","PeriodicalId":42501,"journal":{"name":"Latin American Policy","volume":"16 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/lamp.70038","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145695264","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article explores the lobbying strategies conducted by the network of 53 Mexican consulates in the United States for the acceptance of the Consular Identification Card, matricula consular in Spanish, as a valid identification. The central objective of this strategy has been to provide a valid form of identification for Mexican nationals abroad, especially undocumented migrants, to facilitate their social and economic inclusion in the communities where they live, thus improving their quality of life. It analyzes how these strategies have been adapted and implemented to the different local contexts to maximize the probability of success. It seeks to answer two questions. What are the most important lobbying strategies used by Mexican consulates to promote the acceptance by US state and local governments of this identification card? Which of these strategies have been successful and why? The article analyzes the consular negotiation strategies with 3 groups of relevant actors in the United States, (1) local, state, and federal authorities; (2) the private sector, such as financial institutions; and (3) the Mexican diaspora. We argue that the success in the acceptance of this form of identification depends on the effective enactment of these 3 main consular lobbying strategies.
{"title":"Mexican Consular Lobbying in the United States: Explaining the Acceptance of the Consular Identification Card","authors":"Ramón González Viramontes, Jorge A. Schiavon","doi":"10.1111/lamp.70033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/lamp.70033","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This article explores the lobbying strategies conducted by the network of 53 Mexican consulates in the United States for the acceptance of the Consular Identification Card, <i>matricula consular</i> in Spanish, as a valid identification. The central objective of this strategy has been to provide a valid form of identification for Mexican nationals abroad, especially undocumented migrants, to facilitate their social and economic inclusion in the communities where they live, thus improving their quality of life. It analyzes how these strategies have been adapted and implemented to the different local contexts to maximize the probability of success. It seeks to answer two questions. What are the most important lobbying strategies used by Mexican consulates to promote the acceptance by US state and local governments of this identification card? Which of these strategies have been successful and why? The article analyzes the consular negotiation strategies with 3 groups of relevant actors in the United States, (1) local, state, and federal authorities; (2) the private sector, such as financial institutions; and (3) the Mexican diaspora. We argue that the success in the acceptance of this form of identification depends on the effective enactment of these 3 main consular lobbying strategies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":42501,"journal":{"name":"Latin American Policy","volume":"16 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145521878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Robert A. Blecker, Juan Carlos Moreno-Brid, Edgar Pérez-Medina, Fernando Ricalde-Zamora
{"title":"The USMCA Review and the Mexican Economy: Between Renegotiation and Limbo","authors":"Robert A. Blecker, Juan Carlos Moreno-Brid, Edgar Pérez-Medina, Fernando Ricalde-Zamora","doi":"10.1111/lamp.70036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/lamp.70036","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":42501,"journal":{"name":"Latin American Policy","volume":"16 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145521879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David Silva Gutiérrez, Zeus Guevara, Juan Roberto Vargas Sánchez, Zeus Salvador Hernández Veleros
In 2018, Mexico's new government set the ambitious goal of recovering the energy sector's role as an economic engine within the framework of the development strategy known as the fourth transformation. The government defined the objective to achieve energy self-sufficiency for the sector and redesigned mechanisms such as energy and fiscal policy. Yet, the structural difficulties the industry faces generate uncertainty about the possibilities of achieving the objective defined by the government. Findings reveal some structural issues in the sector show slight improvements, such as gasoline production levels, whereas others, such as the energy transition process of the Mexican economy, have been delayed. This article aims to analyze the effects of the measures adopted by the current Mexican government regarding national energy security in the context of a resurgence of natural resource nationalism.
{"title":"Resurgence of Energy Nationalism in Mexico: Classic Purposes, Historical Obstacles, and Green Opportunities for the Energy Sector","authors":"David Silva Gutiérrez, Zeus Guevara, Juan Roberto Vargas Sánchez, Zeus Salvador Hernández Veleros","doi":"10.1111/lamp.70037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/lamp.70037","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In 2018, Mexico's new government set the ambitious goal of recovering the energy sector's role as an economic engine within the framework of the development strategy known as the fourth transformation. The government defined the objective to achieve energy self-sufficiency for the sector and redesigned mechanisms such as energy and fiscal policy. Yet, the structural difficulties the industry faces generate uncertainty about the possibilities of achieving the objective defined by the government. Findings reveal some structural issues in the sector show slight improvements, such as gasoline production levels, whereas others, such as the energy transition process of the Mexican economy, have been delayed. This article aims to analyze the effects of the measures adopted by the current Mexican government regarding national energy security in the context of a resurgence of natural resource nationalism.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":42501,"journal":{"name":"Latin American Policy","volume":"16 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145521442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The End of the Liberal Order—What Liberal Order? Peace and Conflict in an Illiberal World","authors":"Andrea Oelsner","doi":"10.1111/lamp.70028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/lamp.70028","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":42501,"journal":{"name":"Latin American Policy","volume":"16 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145469396","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Juan Pablo Sims, Brice Tseen Fu Lee, Yun-Tso Lee, Daniela Catalina Cerda
The resurgence of left-wing governments in Latin America since 2018 has prompted comparisons to the early 2000s Pink Tide movement. However, this study argues that the current left-wing administrations diverge significantly in their foreign policy approaches from the original Pink Tide. Utilizing a mixed-methods framework that combines foreign policy analysis with latent Dirichlet allocation topic modelling of presidential speeches, the research examines how domestic factors influence foreign policy decisions. The findings reveal that economic difficulties, escalating crime rates, political polarization, and fluctuating public approval are primary drivers compelling these governments toward more pragmatic and nationally focused foreign policies. This shift underscores a prioritization of domestic imperatives over regional ideological alignment, signaling a transformation from the Pink Tide's collective aspirations to individualized national strategies.
{"title":"From Ideology to Pragmatism: Domestic Challenges Shaping Foreign Policy in Latin America's New Left","authors":"Juan Pablo Sims, Brice Tseen Fu Lee, Yun-Tso Lee, Daniela Catalina Cerda","doi":"10.1111/lamp.70035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/lamp.70035","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The resurgence of left-wing governments in Latin America since 2018 has prompted comparisons to the early 2000s Pink Tide movement. However, this study argues that the current left-wing administrations diverge significantly in their foreign policy approaches from the original Pink Tide. Utilizing a mixed-methods framework that combines foreign policy analysis with latent Dirichlet allocation topic modelling of presidential speeches, the research examines how domestic factors influence foreign policy decisions. The findings reveal that economic difficulties, escalating crime rates, political polarization, and fluctuating public approval are primary drivers compelling these governments toward more pragmatic and nationally focused foreign policies. This shift underscores a prioritization of domestic imperatives over regional ideological alignment, signaling a transformation from the Pink Tide's collective aspirations to individualized national strategies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":42501,"journal":{"name":"Latin American Policy","volume":"16 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145407287","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In recent years, video assistant referee systems have been increasingly used to correct unfair decisions in sports. Similarly, I argue that constitutional referendums play a corrective role in hybrid or competitive authoritarian regimes, where the electoral referee is biased and the government enjoys unfair advantages. Unlike well-functioning democracies with strong accountability mechanisms or outright authoritarian regimes where elections are meaningless, competitive authoritarian systems still leave room for genuine contestation. Despite the widespread skepticism toward referendums, due to concerns about elite control, lack of deliberation, and majoritarian risks, I suggest that referendums in these hybrid regimes are crucial tools for challenging entrenched rulers. Mainstream constitutional law literature tends to overlook this function. This article challenges conventional approaches by highlighting the necessity of constitutional referendums in Latin America's competitive authoritarian contexts. Using empirical evidence from Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador, I demonstrate how referendums were instrumental in confronting leaders who sought to tighten their grip on power, notably by removing presidential term limits. This analysis contributes to broader debates on the role of direct democracy under nonideal democratic conditions.
{"title":"Video Assistant Referee(ndums): A Populist Weapon or Effective Tool to Stop Autocrats in Competitive Authoritarian Regimes in Latin America?","authors":"Muhammet Derviş Mete","doi":"10.1111/lamp.70032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/lamp.70032","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In recent years, video assistant referee systems have been increasingly used to correct unfair decisions in sports. Similarly, I argue that constitutional referendums play a corrective role in hybrid or competitive authoritarian regimes, where the electoral referee is biased and the government enjoys unfair advantages. Unlike well-functioning democracies with strong accountability mechanisms or outright authoritarian regimes where elections are meaningless, competitive authoritarian systems still leave room for genuine contestation. Despite the widespread skepticism toward referendums, due to concerns about elite control, lack of deliberation, and majoritarian risks, I suggest that referendums in these hybrid regimes are crucial tools for challenging entrenched rulers. Mainstream constitutional law literature tends to overlook this function. This article challenges conventional approaches by highlighting the necessity of constitutional referendums in Latin America's competitive authoritarian contexts. Using empirical evidence from Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador, I demonstrate how referendums were instrumental in confronting leaders who sought to tighten their grip on power, notably by removing presidential term limits. This analysis contributes to broader debates on the role of direct democracy under nonideal democratic conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":42501,"journal":{"name":"Latin American Policy","volume":"16 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/lamp.70032","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145407117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bringing War Back In: Victory, Defeat, and the State in Nineteenth-Century Latin America. By Luis Schenoni, Cambridge University, 2024. 326 pp.","authors":"Raúl Aldaz Peña","doi":"10.1111/lamp.70029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/lamp.70029","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":42501,"journal":{"name":"Latin American Policy","volume":"16 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145406788","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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