AUTHOR'S BIO
Roberto Laserna
Roberto Laserna, an economist who holds a doctorate in regional planning from the University of California at Berkeley, has taught at Princeton University and at universities in Bolivia and Peru.
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Endgame for Evo?
Roberto Laserna Series: Latin America 2011-11-16The populist government of Bolivian President Evo Morales seems to be heading into an inflation-fueled tailspin. Indeed, by refusing to change course on key economic policies, Morales is alienating many of the voters who brought him to power.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 13693
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Evo Morales and the Populist Paradox
Roberto Laserna Series: Latin America 2010-04-08
Bolivian President Evo Morales’s success rests largely on the paradox of populism. Although he claims to oppose economic liberalism, he is a product of the political liberties that it promotes and feeds on the benefits generated by the market economy.... read Comments: 10 Recommended: 3 Read: 14885
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The March of the Caudillos
Roberto Laserna Series: Latin America 2007-11-12The re-election of Presidents Hugo Chávez and Evo Morales for unlimited periods in Venezuela and Bolivia, respectively, reflects a phenomenon – caudillismo – that has never been far from the surface of Latin American politics. The weaker a country’s institutions, the more evident the inequalities, and the more concentrated the resources, the greater the caudillo’s powers will be.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 16230
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Twenty-First Century Populism
Roberto Laserna Series: Latin America 2007-02-26In Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador a new left is said to being born, which their presidents call “twenty-first century socialism.” But, despite the supposed novelty of their vision, their actions seem only to be replicating the self-destructive policies that have brought such agony to Cuba. ... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 13780
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Bolivia’s Same Old Revolution
Roberto Laserna Series: Latin America 2005-12-12Bolivia is at a defining moment in its history. It recently found a new source of wealth, natural gas, but may become yet another victim of the so-called “natural resource curse.” In their eagerness to embrace development policies that are proven failures, all of the candidates in the presidential election scheduled for December 18 appear unaware of this risk.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 18593
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Bolivia's Populist Temptation
Roberto Laserna Series: Latin America 2003-11-13In April 2002, violent demonstrations known as the "water war" in Bolivia forced President Hugo Bánzer to cancel the contract with the only international corporation interested in taking on the most ambitious water project ever proposed in the country. Recently, another major popular upheaval ended a project to export natural gas to Mexico and the United States through a Chilean seaport. ... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 15551
