Colombia: The Politics of Reforming the State (Institute of Latin American Studies Series)

This book examines the process of political and social reform that Colombia has experienced in the past decade. As the relationship between the state, the economy and the society are redefined in Latin America, Colombia has also undergone substantial transformations. This story offers a Colombian dimension to the increasing interest in processes of state reform elsewhere. The approach is interdisciplinary and will be of interest to political scientists, economists, sociologists, geographers and historians. Front Matter....Pages i-xxiv Introduction Reflections on the Colombian State: in Search of a Modern Role....Pages 1-17 Front Matter....Pages 19-19 Colombian Experience with Liberalism: on the Historical Weakness of the State....Pages 21-44 The State and Political Parties in Colombia....Pages 45-70 Democracy, State and Society in the 1991 Constitution: The Role of the Constitutional Court....Pages 71-95 The Decentralised State: an Administrative or Political Challenge?....Pages 97-108 Front Matter....Pages 109-109 Violence and the State in Colombia....Pages 111-124 State Weakness and Clientelism in Colombian Education....Pages 125-153 Colombian Housing Policy During the 1990s....Pages 155-183 Front Matter....Pages 185-185 The Colombian Apertura: an Assessment....Pages 187-205 Regulation and Deregulation: The Process of Reform in Colombia, 1990–94....Pages 207-232 Evolution and Rationality of Budget Institutions In Colombia....Pages 233-261 Back Matter....Pages 263-286