Polarization and Democracy in Latin America: Legacies of the Left Turn

Kenneth M. Roberts
Richard J. Schwartz Professor of Government, Cornell University
Former Kellogg Institute Visiting Fellow

This talk is based on the book of the same name, authored by Kenneth Roberts and Santiago Anria.

Political polarization has intensified in Latin America following the region’s political shift to the left in the early 21st century, but the timing and patterns of polarization varied considerably across different countries.  This talk will examine how and why different polarization dynamics emerged during or after Latin America’s populist and social democratic variants of the “left turn,” and analyze why elections have become highly polarizing events even when public opinion does not appear to be highly polarized in the region.

Former Kellogg visiting fellow Kenneth M. Roberts is the Richard J. Schwartz Professor of Government at Cornell University, specializing in comparative and Latin American politics with a focus on democracy, political parties, social movements, populism, and the political economy of development. He is the author of several influential books on Latin American politics and has held numerous academic fellowships worldwide.