The (Un)Rule of Law and the Underprivileged in Latin America, edited by Juan E. Méndez, Guillermo O’Donnell, and Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, offers a harsh appraisal of the region’s legal and justice systems.
About the Author
Linn Hammergren, the author of The Politics of Justice and Justice Reform in Latin America: Peru in Comparative Perspective (1998), is a Public Sector Management Specialist (Latin America and the Caribbean) at the World Bank. The opinions expressed in this review are her own and in no way reflect World Bank policies.
The experience of “bandit capitalism” or “tyrant capitalism” in postcommunist societies shows that markets cannot work properly without a community of trust and mutual respect. Such a community can be…