On Local Elections and Government in Latin America and the Caribbean

Bernard D. Headley's discussion of the July 29, 1986, local elections in Jamaica (MR, February 1987) presents a compelling argument that these elections became a plebiscite on the Seaga regime, in which the population showed support for the opposition. The revival of Manley's PNP is the most important result of these elections. But Headley may be wrong to assume that apart from their transitory role as "plebiscite," local elections are merely a "pedestrian exercise." If one looks not only at Jamaica, but at Latin America and the Caribbean as a region, one finds that local and provincial or state elections and governments have taken on a new importance in recent years. While this may be a mere coincidence of transitory phenomena, I think there may be more to it. The local state in the third world may be becoming an important arena for struggle.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website

Argument (complex analysis) · Development economics · Economic history · Economics · Latin Americans · Local government · Opposition (politics) · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Population · Sociology · State (computer science) · Caribbean history, culture, and politics · Demography · History · Law · Public Administration