Doctoral Dissertation Research in Political Science: The Politics of Market-oriented Reform in Contemporary Peru

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What is the political impact of economic reform in contemporary Latin America? Have new, market-oriented, government policies triggered new patterns of political organization? This research investigates the impact of three major policy reforms in contemporary Peru: taxation, social security pension privatization and targeted poverty alleviation. Each of these areas of public policy switched from state-centered to market-oriented mechanisms in the 1990s. Theoretical work in the field of public policy suggests that the political consequences of economic reform varies significantly across policy areas and is directly related to the distribution of costs and benefits to the public. This research has three important implications for the study of market-oriented reforms. First, it sheds light on the long-term viability of such reforms. Second, it provides insight into the growth and maintenance of new interest groups. Finally, this research enhances our general understanding of state-society interactions in Latin America.