Von der Heydt-Coca focuses on phases of modern development in Latin America, ranging from 20th-century populism to 21st-century neopopulism and covering military dictatorship and neoliberalism, which separated the two phases…. Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty.

Choice Reviews

In this highly perceptive account, Magda von der Heydt-Coca ties together the experiences over the past century of the countries that make up Latin America into a cohesive and meaningful common history. This has been a tumultuous century, marked by continental waves of populism, military dictatorship, democratic opening, neoliberal restructuring, and neo-populism. Von der Heydt-Coca narrates this history with confidence, displaying both a comprehensive grasp of hemispheric trends and expert knowledge of particularities that have shaped the trajectories of individual countries. Moreover, she captures the dynamic ways in which events across Latin America are interrelated, and inevitably also involve outside powers, most prominently the United States, but also European states and, in recent years, China. The book will serve as an introduction for outsiders to the field, while also providing new insights for regional experts, and will make an excellent textbook for courses about Latin America.

Joel Andreas, Johns Hopkins University

Latin American Development from Populism to Neopopulism is written in the best traditions of political economy, weaving together social structures, power relations and economic analysis to uncover Latin America's distinctly populous movements country by country. Magda von der Heydt-Coca achieves a detailed examination of the conditions of the poor and working class from the emergence of populism during W.W. I through the Pink Tide that defines the contemporary Latin American left. An outstanding contribution to our understanding of the complexity and inner connections of Latin American history.

Jerry Harris, National Secretary Global Studies Association of North America