This book improves understandings of how and why clientelism endures in Latin America and why state policy is often ineffective. Political scientists and sociologists, the contributors employ ethnography, targeted interviews, case studies, within-case and regional comparison, thick descriptions, and process tracing.

Clientelism is a hot topic across the developing and developed world. Area studies specialists and anthropologists, political scientists, and sociologists across the board will be interested in the book.

PART I: INTRODUCTION Democratic Processes, Clientelistic Relationships, and the Material Goods Problem; T.Hilgers PART II: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES Favors, 'Merit Ribbons,' and Services: Analyzing the Fragile Resilience of Clientelism; L.Roniger What is Politics for? Inequality, Representation, and Needs Satisfaction Under Clientelism and Democracy; J.Shefner PART III: THE MULTIPLE DYNAMICS OF CLIENTELISM IN LATIN AMERICA Democratic Processes, Patronage Politics, and Contentious Collective Action in El Alto, Bolivia; P.Lapegna & J.Auyero Clientelism, Democracy, and Violence in Rio de Janeiro; R.Gay When Clients Become Collective Actors: Participatory Budgeting, Changing Mobilization Patterns and Varieties of Clientelism in Democratizing Recife, Brazil; F.Montambeault Clientelism and Subnational Politics in Latin America: Reflections on Oaxaca, Mexico and Bahia, Brazil; J.D.Herrmann Fragmented Clientelism in Montevideo: Training Ground for Community Engagement with Participatory Decentralization; E.Canel PART IV: PROPOSALS FOR FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF STUDY Clientelistic Democracy or Democratic Clientelism: A Matter of Context; T.Hilgers State Power and Clientelism: Eight Propositions for Discussion; J.Fox