The progress of economic reform and of democratization has been patchy in Latin America. Some aspects of economic reform such as trade liberalization and, in some countries, privatization and financial sector liberalization have been implemented reasonably well, but others have not, including the important issue of labor reform. Some democratic reforms such as the holding of free and competitive elections are also working well, but social and economic rights remain problematical. Labor reform, which is crucial to economic modernization and to safeguarding the rights of ordinary working men and women, has been characterized by uncertainty, slow progress, and lack of consensus, and its history is littered with government proposals that scarcely move from the drawing board. Decades ago the trade union movement was the focus of much social science research, but in recent years the emphasis has shifted to social movements. Social protest has replaced union strikes as the main...

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