Democracy, elite power and civil society: Bolivia and Peru compared

Abstract

Despite proximity and cultural similarities,Peru and Bolivia provide contrastingexamples of elite power as opposed tothat of popular movements. Peru in recentyears has seen the consolidation of businesspower at the expense of a politically activecivil society; opposition to neoliberal policieshas been fragmented and weak. Boliviahas a history of strong social movementsthat underpinned successive administrationsby the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS).However, these trajectories are not fixedand the ability of civil society and elites tocontrol the state fluctuates. The November2019 coup in Bolivia is a reminder of this.This article compares the two countries overdifferent time periods: that of state-led developmentprior to 1980, the neoliberal periodin the 1980s and 1990s, and that ofpost-neoliberalism period after 2000.