Technocracy and Democracy in Latin America: The Experts Running Government

by Eduardo Dargent

Praised by some as islands of efficiency in a sea of unprofessional, politicized, and corrupt states, and criticized by others for removing wide areas of policy making from the democratic arena, technocrats have become prominent and controversial actors in Latin American politics. Nonelected state officials with advanced educations from top universities, technocrats achieve considerable autonomy from political and economic actors and exerted great influence over their countries' fates. This finding poses an intriguing paradox. These experts lack an independent base of authority, such as popular election. They also lack the tenure enjoyed by professional bureaucrats. What, then, explains the power of technocrats in democratic Latin America? And why do they enjoy and maintain greater policy influence in some areas than in others? Through an in-depth analysis of economic and health policy in Colombia from 1958 to 2011 and in Peru from 1980 to 2011, Technocracy and Democracy in Latin America answers these and other questions about experts in Latin America.

216 pages, Hardcover

First published October 29, 2014

Reviews

[Luis · Rating 4 out of 5]

El libro presenta una interesante teoría sobre los mecanismos que determinan el grado de autonomía de los tecnócratas frente a los "políticos" y a su vez explica las acciones de los primeros para maximizar dicha autonomía. Plantea de buena forma las contradicciones que genera la existencia de tecnócratas genera en un régimen democrático, si bien no las explora con tanta profundidad como hubiera querido.