Why Reform Fails: The ‘Politics of Policies’ in Costa Rican Telecommunications Liberalization

As the 'Washington Consensus' reforms are losing momentum in Latin America, the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB) is calling for shifting the focus from the content of policy choices to the political process of their implementation. As this paper studies the paradigmatic case of telecommunications reform in Costa Rica it underscores the importance of these 'politics of policies'. The analysis finds, however, that the failure of repeated liberalization initiatives was not only due to policy-makers' errors in steering the project through 'the messy world of politics' (IDB); instead, as liberalization remained unpopular, policy content indeed mattered, and only the interaction of both explains the outcome. Particular attention is drawn to the political feed-back effects, as the failed reform, precisely because it had been backed by bi-partisan support, became a catalyst for the disintegration of the country's long-standing two-party system.Liberalization, privatization, telecommunications, public enterprises, Costa Rica, development model, Inter-American Development Bank

Bringing Hirschman Back In: Conceptualizing Transnational Migration as a Reconfiguration of “Exit”, “Voice”, and “Loyalty”

Albert O. Hirschman’s scheme of “exit and voice,” long a classic in the study of migration and its political implications, was conceived within the framework of “methodological nationalism.” However, the rise of migrant transnationalism is eroding the classic migration paradigm. Combining theoretical considerations with empirical insights from Latin American cases, this paper argues that a critical reappraisal of Hirschman’s scheme provides a helpful heuristic tool for conceptualizing the new character of today’s transnational migration. Whereas in the traditional approach to international migration the options of exit, voice, and loyalty are considered to be mutually exclusive, transnational migration can be defined precisely by the overlapping and simultaneity of these categories.migration, transnationalism, "exit and voice," Latin America, "methodological nationalism"

Emigration and Regime Stability: Explaining the Persistence of Cuban Socialism

The ‘Cuban safety-valve theory’ explains sustained survival of Cuban socialism in part through the high levels of emigration, following Hirschman’s model of ‘exit’ undermining ‘voice’. The article argues that this remains insufficient in two important ways. Taking a closer look at the crisis years since 1989, at least as important as the opening of exit options was the Cuban state’s capacity to rein in uncontrolled emigration and to reassure its ‘gatekeeper role’. In addition, the transnationalization of voice and exit must be taken into account as a crucial factor, as much in feeding the regime’s anti-imperialist discourse as, paradoxically, by generating sustained economic support from the emigrants.Emigration, Regime Stability, Transnational Networks, Cuba, USA

Emigration and Regime Stability: Explaining the Persistence of Cuban Socialism

The ‘Cuban safety-valve theory’ explains sustained survival of Cuban socialism in part through the high levels of emigration, following Hirschman’s model of ‘exit’ undermining ‘voice’. The article argues that this remains insufficient in two important ways. Taking a closer look at the crisis years since 1989, at least as important as the opening of exit options was the Cuban state’s capacity to rein in uncontrolled emigration and to reassure its ‘gatekeeper role’. In addition, the transnationalization of voice and exit must be taken into account as a crucial factor, as much in feeding the regime’s anti-imperialist discourse as, paradoxically, by generating sustained economic support from the emigrants.Emigration, Regime Stability, Transnational Networks, Cuba, USA

Transitions from Charismatic Rule: Theories of Leadership Change and Cuba’s Post-Fidel Succession

For theories of political succession and charismatic authority, the almost half-century long rule of Fidel Castro presents an extraordinary test case since Fidel in July 2006 handed over power ‘temporarily’ to his deputy and brother Raúl. On the background of Max We-ber’s work on charismatic rule, the paper analyzes the way in which the Cuban leadership has responded to the succession question and identifies four aspects in which it differs from the succession problems typically attributed to charismatic rule: Cuba’s longstanding exceptionalism regarding the ‘second man’ behind the leader; the succession during the life-time of the leader with a sui generis modus of ‘cohabitation’ between the outgoing and the incoming leader; the routinization of charisma which domestically allows a bureau-cratic succession model with the Communist Party, rather than any individual, being pos-tulated as Fidel Castro‘s heir; and as a correlate to the latter, the ritual transmission of Fidel’s charisma to a heir beyond the nation-state, Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez, as the new charismatic leader to continue Fidel Castro’s universal revolutionary mission.political succession, leadership change, charismatic authority, Max Weber, Cuba

Cuban Exceptionalism Revisited

The end of Cuban exceptionalism has been much announced since 1989, but a decade and a half later state socialism on the island is still enduring. Transition studies have been criti-cized for focusing on success stories. Exploring the deviant case of Cuba’s “non-transition” from a comparative social science perspective can shed light on the peculiarities of this case and, more importantly, test the general assumptions underlying post-1989 expecta-tions of regime change in Cuba. Theories of path dependence and cumulative causation are particularly helpful when attempting to link Cuban current political exceptionalism with a more long-term historic perspective. Moreover, they suggest that interpretations of Cuba as simply a “belated” case of “third wave” democratization may prove erroneous, even when the health of Fidel Castro finally falters.Cuba, comparative politics, exceptionalism, socialism, transition

Cuba’s slow motion glasnost: more focused on boostingforeign investment than domestic reforms

As diplomatic relations between Havana and Washington thaw, pressure for reform within Cuba is mounting. While there have been immediate economic benefits for Cuba, Bert Hoffmann looks at the limits on just how far political change in the country will go and how this might affect US-Cuban relations

Transitions from Charismatic Rule : Theories of Leadership Change and Cuba’s Post-Fidel Succession

For theories of political succession and charismatic authority, the almost half‐century long rule of Fidel Castro presents an extraordinary test case since Fidel in July 2006 handed over power ‘temporarily’ to his deputy and brother Raúl. On the background of Max Weber’s work on charismatic rule, the paper analyzes the way in which the Cuban leadership has responded to the succession question and identifies four aspects in which it differs from the succession problems typically attributed to charismatic rule: Cuba’s longstanding exceptionalism regarding the ‘second man’ behind the leader; the succession during the life‐time of the leader with a sui generis modus of ‘cohabitation’ between the outgoing and the incoming leader; the routinization of charisma which domestically allows a bureaucratic succession model with the Communist Party, rather than any individual, being postulated as Fidel Castro‘s heir; and as a correlate to the latter, the ritual transmission of Fidel’s charisma to a heir beyond the nation‐state, Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez, as the new charismatic leader to continue Fidel Castro’s universal revolutionary mission.Für Theorien politischer Nachfolge und charismatischer Herrschaft stellt die fast ein halbes Jahrhundert währende Herrschaft Fidel Castros in Kuba einen denkbar prominenten Testfall dar, seit Fidel Castro im Juli 2006 die Amtsgeschäfte „vorübergehend“ an seinen Vize und Bruder Raúl übergab. Max Webers Werk über charismatische Herrschaft aufgreifend, analysiert der vorliegende Artikel, wie die kubanische Führung auf die Nachfolgefrage geantwortet hat und identifiziert dabei vier Aspekte, die den kubanischen Fall von den typischerweise charismatischer Herrschaft zugeschriebenen Nachfolgeproblemen unterscheiden: Die Ausnahmerolle in Bezug auf den „zweiten Mann“ hinter der Führungsperson; die Amtsnachfolge zu Lebzeiten mit einem ungewöhnlichen Modus der „Cohabitation“ zwischen scheidendem Führer und designiertem Nachfolger; die Routinisierung des Charismas, die auf nationaler Ebene ein bürokratisches Nachfolgemodell ermöglicht, bei dem die Kommunistische Partei an Stelle eines individuellen Politikers das Erbe Fidels antritt; und schließlich, als Korrelat des vorangehenden, die rituelle Übertragung des Charismas Fidels zu einem Erben jenseits der nationalen Grenzen in Gestalt des venezolanischen Präsidenten Hugo Chávez, der als neuer charismatischer Führer zum Träger der universellen Revolutionsmission Fidel Castros erhoben wird

Latin America and Beyond: The Case for Comparative Area Studies

Comparative Area Studies (CAS) emerges as a new approach in which scholars of Latin American Studies engage systematically with scholars working on other world regions. Adopting a focus on intra-, inter- and cross area comparisons, CAS builds on the traditional strengths of area studies. At the same time it enables scholars to have a stronger impact on overarching conceptual debates and it may provide new bridges between area studies scholars and the academic communities in the regions studied. However, a comparative area studies approach requires systematic cooperation among scholars of different world regions, and adequate organizational and institutional structures to support them