The transcripts of the television programme Aló Presidente, the centrepiece of President Hugo Chávez's media strategy, provide insight into the different ways in which his movement promoted the image of its leader and sought to solidify his emotionally charged connection with the Venezuelan masses. The study outlines the dynamics behind the changing format and content of Aló Presidente and places it within the context of earlier research on populist media use in Latin America. Although similar to its predecessors, the programme was a unique creation of Chavismo, designed to balance Chávez's knack for improvisation with a structure designed to curb his excesses and keep him on message. This led to occasional tension between Chávez and the media professionals charged with the programme's production. The article provides a corrective to inaccurate treatments in the media and scholarly literature, and offers new information on Aló Presidente to facilitate future comparative studies.

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The social mobilization against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) in Costa Rica between 2002 and 2007 was the strongest of any nation associated with the treaty. The popular opposition was able to delay for years and nearly stop its ratification. It did so by amassing support from the public at large and, in preparation for a national referendum, adopting a strategy of complete decentralization and horizontal, voluntary work at the grassroots level. This strategy ultimately led to a loss of the battle against the agreement, but it avoided costly clashes over leadership and forced the Costa Rican government to become more open and transparent vis-à-vis the popular organizations and the public. La movilización social costarricense contra el CAFTA entre 2002 y 2007 fue la más contundente en cualquier país asociado al tratado. La oposición popular logró detener el proyecto por varios años y casi evita su ratificación. Su éxito se basó en el apoyo general del público y, en preparación para un referendo nacional, la adopción de una estrategia descentralizada y horizontal fundamentada en el voluntariado de grupos de base. Esta estrategia finalmente resultó en la pérdida de la batalla contra el tratado, pero evitó costosas desavenencias en torno al liderazgo y obligó al gobierno costarricense a abrirse y dar cuentas más transparentes a las organizaciones populares y el público en general.

La presencia e importancia de los partidos políticos cantonales en Costa Rica han crecido en la últimas dos décadas. El presente estudio bosqueja la participación de partidos cantonales en las elecciones municipales del 2016 y analiza el papel que, desde su perspectiva, juegan en la arena política nacional. El estudio se basa en el análisis cualitativo de informes mediáticos, documentos oficiales de los partidos y entrevistas telefónicas con líderes partidarios. La principal conclusión es que los partidos cantonales se consideran partícipes en un proceso de redemocratización nacional fundamentado en la actividad política local de base. Son conscientes, al mismo tiempo, de los importantes obstáculos que les impiden adquirir protagonismo en la política nacional.

The recent collapse of the Argentine economy, as argued by historian Ignacio Lewkowicz, precipitated the “overflow” of the state’s political institutions as well. Yet, the authors observe, Argentine social and political life continued to function despite the lack of meaningful controls from above. It appears that it was the force of norms and the fear of total anarchy that led Argentina’s “civil society” to carry the burden of law and order for a short time. Here, the authors suggest that an opportunity for radical change might have been lost.