Transitions and Reform Processes in a Global Context

The dynamics of economic reforms in Latin America, and the western hemisphere at large, have changed considerably since the impetus for structural reforms in the 1980's, as many countries faced the parallel challenges of democratization from authoritarian regimes and the restructuring of their national economies. At present, countries face increasing pressure to liberalize their economies amidst more turbulent capital markets and more transient financial investments. As the democratic transition advances towards a secondary stage, reform efforts continue in the macroeconomic sphere, but have also moved towards issues of judicial reform, tax and local governance, as well as a struggle to define the role and purview of the welfare state in developing countries.

 

Developing Human and Social Capital

Moving from a substantive investigation of reform processes, the Bildner center fosters dialogue on specific issues of social equity and poverty reduction. Recent work on human and social capital focuses on the importance of networks, informal institutions, and the role of the family in fomenting economic growth and social opportunity. There are a number of policy issues and factors shaping social development: labor markets and migration, urban and demographic dynamics, civil society and the non-profit sector, democratic institution-building, ideas, religious practice, and social responsibility.

 

Democratic Governance and Human Security

Human security is the intersection of economic needs, environmental standards, access to basic health care, and living in a state that secures basic civil freedoms and protection from organized violence. How to build democracies is a subject of heated debate in policy arenas and academic discourse. The ever-evolving process of good, accountable governance is central to both establishing democracy and providing human security. This program area focuses on recent developments in the study of the factors contributing to the deepening of democracy, as well as its weakening. There is increasing concern for those states unable to meet basic needs of their citizens, in short to provide human security.

 

Transnational Communities

A number of scholars and civil society activists are devoting attention to the role of transnational and transcultural communities, those individuals who live and travel between national boundaries and cultural spheres. The Bildner Center has developed a number of programs on the dissemination of ideas, knowledge and cultural processes. This program area examines these discursive and dynamic exchanges through the agency of individuals and communities in transition. Transnational community political participation, in new country and old, is increasingly important. Apart from political organizations and affiliations, the financial impact of transnational communities is growing. Remittances to family members across Latin America and the Caribbean have become a major, and largely undocumented, component of national economies. There is an increasing demand for scholarly and policy attention to this issue.

 

Global Cooperation and Regional Integration

The Bildner Center has long recognized the importance of the increased level of regional integration through the western hemisphere. Most recent movements have been in the area of trade agreements and monetary policy. Such accords reflect increased levels of cooperation and interdependence, which extend from financial areas to military operations. The United States military has long been influential, and interventionist, in Latin American and Caribbean politics. Now Latin American militaries are sharing this interventionist role through international organizations, as Chile has recently begun humanitarian missions in Haiti. Non-state actors and non-governmental organizations have played an increasingly important role in developing normative standards for the rights of women, indigenous populations and minority groups of the Americas. The emergence of these organizations is a major development in inter-American relations.