Examining the roles, impacts and challenges of civil society organizations (CSOs) in Latin America, this volume provides a broad perspective on the range of strategies these organizations employ and the obstacles they face in advocating for and delivering educational reform. Building on previous research on international and comparative education, development studies, research on social movements and nongovernmental organizations, chapter authors provides new insights about the increasing presence of CSOs in education and offer case studies demonstrating how these organizations‘ missions have evolved over time in Latin America.

A dense web of private associations drawn from multiple social classes, interest groups and value communities makes for a firm foundation for strong democracy. In Latin America today, will civil society improve the quality of democracy or will it foster political polarization and reverse recent progress? Distinguished theorists from the United States, Canada and Latin America explore the diverse impact of civil society on economic performance, political parties, and state institutions. In-depth and up-to-date country studies explore the consequences of civil society for the durability of democracy in three highly dynamic, controversial settings: Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela.

"Devoting particular emphasis to Bolivia, Chile, and Mexico, proposes a theory of civil society to explain the economic and political challenges for continuing democratization in Latin America"--Provided by publisher.

This book provides an insight into the historical changes and present-day circumstances that have influenced, and continue to influence, the development and future of civil society. Civil society organisations (CSOs) play a crucial role in international development, however their impact on policy and practice is limited by a range of shifts across their political, social and financial landscapes. Barriers to Effective Civil Society Organisations is divided into three parts addressing each of these shifts in turn, and places particular emphasis on civil society actors linked not only by political constraints, but also by ethnic and cultural diversities that are crucial markers of political and social identity. This book draws on case studies from across Latin America, Africa, MENA and Ireland to highlight how CSOs in these countries are shaped by, and react to, shifting challenges. Reflecting on solutions for the sector, the authors provide an understanding of the various ‘self-accommodation’ policies and techniques employed by CSOs in order to continue their services and increase their credibility across global contexts. Aimed at researchers, policy makers and CSO/NGO workers looking to better understand the current state and future of the sector from the perspective of emerging scholars working in these regions, and in the Global South in particular, this innovative book is a celebration of the important work of CSOs and a reaffirmation of their right to sit at the policy table.

This book brings together fifteen comprehensive studies of significant North American scholars of comparative education from the 20th century. Providing relevant biographical detail, chapters analyse each scholar’s approach to comparative education and their on-going influences on the field. Comparative studies in education have long benefited from the work of significant individuals who have collectively advanced the field, making it a vibrant and intellectually fruitful area of educational research. Offering a unique, systematic exploration of the work of the founders of comparative educational research, North American Scholars of Comparative Education emphasizes the importance of understanding the accomplishments of key historical figures in the field, and considers the legacies such individuals have created. Chapters move beyond descriptions of comparativists’ work, to illustrate the pivotal role played by each scholar in driving a progression through humanistic and scientific approaches, to new epistemological traditions within the field of comparative education. This in turn reveals critical historical-epistemological transitions which have had lasting impacts on the field. Including contributions written by leading scholars in the field, this volume will be of great interest to researchers, academics and scholars in comparative and international education.

This book is part of the Sense Publishers series emerging from the 2013 WCCES XV World Congress in Buenos Aires (Series Editors Suzanne Majhanovich and Allan Pitman). The Congress Theme of New Times, New Voices provided the broad frame for the conference and the series of volumes, including this one, which contains research contributions focusing on educational internationalisation. Ever since the early days of international and comparative inquiry in education, the idea that policy and practice might be borrowed or transferred from one location to another has been a continuing theme. Several studies included in this volume focus on the activities of governments, the interactions between supranational organisations and states and the role of private and civil society actors in educational internationalisation. The chapters in this volume explore how internationalisation is carried out in various educational levels and through new or expanding policies and practices. Moreover, the chapters represent diverse research perspectives and geographical regions. More specifically, they examine issues pertaining to: (1) changes in the academic profession, (2) responses to the European Bologna Process and European perspectives on internationalisation, (3) political and institutional interventions that shape educational policy agendas, (4) children’s rights and teacher education in Latin America, and (5) the voices of Roma interest groups. Taken together, these chapters explore the relationships between academic voices and those of international organisations, as well as how national policy makers interpret contrasting international discourses, and political and social factors that influence educational internationalisation processes.

The transition to democracy underway in Latin America since the 1980s has recently witnessed a resurgence of interest in experimenting with new forms of local governance emphasizing more participation by ordinary citizens. The hope is both to foster the spread of democracy and to improve equity in the distribution of resources. While participatory budgeting has been a favorite topic of many scholars studying this new phenomenon, there are many other types of ongoing experiments. In Barrio Democracy in Latin America, Eduardo Canel focuses our attention on the innovative participatory programs launched by the leftist government in Montevideo, Uruguay, in the early 1990s. Based on his extensive ethnographic fieldwork, Canel examines how local activists in three low-income neighborhoods in that city dealt with the opportunities and challenges of implementing democratic practices and building better relationships with sympathetic city officials.