Human Rights and the Pink Tide in Latin America: Which Rights Matter?

Abstract

Latin America witnessed the election of ‘new Left’ governments in the early 21st century that, in different ways, sought to open a debate about alternatives to paradigms of neoliberal development. What has this meant for the way that human rights are understood and for patterns of human rights compliance? Using qualitative and quantitative evidence, this article discusses how human rights are imagined and the compliance records of new Left governments through the lens of the three ‘generations’ of human rights — political and civil, social and economic, and cultural and environmental rights. The authors draw in particular on evidence from Andean countries and the Southern Cone. While basic civil and individual liberties are still far from guaranteed, especially in the Andean region, new Left countries show better overall performances in relation to socio‐economic rights compared to the past and to other Latin American countries. All new Left governments also demonstrate an increasing interest in ‘third generation’ (cultural and environmental) rights, though this is especially marked in the Andean Left. The authors discuss the tensions around interpretations and categories of human rights, reflect on the stagnation of first generation rights and note the difficulties associated with translating second and third generation rights into policy.

Systems thinking in COVID-19 recovery is urgently needed to deliver sustainable development for women and girls

“…In Latin America, before the COVID-19 pandemic, women had been mobilising in growing numbers to demand an end to institutional sexism and gendered violence, and an expansion of health, reproductive rights, and welfare, in the context of both an economic slowdown and a human rights crisis. 38 In sub-Saharan Africa, a growing feminist movement advocated for the integration of gender into development policies and governance, 24 greater rights for women in terms of property ownership, sexual rights in the home, and political rights in society. 25 In both regions, these movements were successful in generating steady progress towards the health, economic, and political rights of women.…”

Social Policy, Inequalities and the Battle of Rights in Latin America

“…In Bolivia, President Evo Morales has found it almost impossible to manage competing identity claims and land rights issues from increasingly vocal and organized indigenous groups. As a result, despite pioneering the most extensive legal recognition of cultural rights, Bolivia has in practice dragged its feet when it comes to granting autonomy to indigenous communities (Grugel and Fontana, ; Siegel, ).…”

State Segmentation and Democratic Survival in Latin America

“…As an alternative to protest and activism, poorer citizens can use the tools of democracy and elect politicians that are more responsive to their claims. A well-known phenomena in Latin America was that of the pink tide, a succession of left-wing administrations in the region during the 2000s which was in part the outcome of demands for social justice and effective citizenship rights (Grugel & Fontana, 2019). The administrations of PT in Brazil, Frente Amplio in Uruguay, MAS in Bolivia, the MVR (later rebranded as PSUV) in Venezuela and others managed to incorporate large sectors of society, reducing inequality and engaging in different levels of conflict with economic elites.…”