This course focuses on the politics of policy making in contemporary Latin America. It
explores the comparative academic literature to understand how political dynamics (e.g.,
democratization), institutions (e.g., federalism), and different actors (e.g., social movements,
political parties) shape public policy. Students will gain empirical knowledge of the region’s
politics and policies as well as analytical and practical understanding of the political aspects of
policy formulation, adoption, and implementation. The empirical focus will be primarily on
South America and Mexico since the 1980s.
