In a corner of the world where most nation-states are deeply problematic, Costa Rica’s success is a puzzle. This scholarly yet accessible book explores which political decisions led to a very different outcome for the little country that could.
Since a brief civil conflict in 1948, the Central American country of Costa Rica has built a stable democracy, with regular, scheduled, and fair elections and respect for human rights. The country has built public and private institutions that have led to notable achievements in economic growth, education, health care, and environmental stewardship. For example, Costa Rica has the highest life expectancy in the Americas, even though it only has a per capita income of one sixth that of the United States. Costa Rica also has one of the highest literacy rates in Latin America (exceeded only by Uruguay). Progress has come from the unexpected benefits of being a backwater of Spanish colonialism, which contributed to a more egalitarian society and in turn spawned political leaders committed to broad-based economic development. Costa Rica has participated actively in the international economy and found imaginative ways to better social welfare.
Colburn and Prado explore Costa Rica’s remarkable success as a country and its creation, since the mid-twentieth century, of an inclusive society and a stable democracy. Enriched with illuminating quotations from a wide range of Costa Ricans, this important new contribution to Latin American studies elucidates how the country’s sense of national identity and political institutions led to the crafting of sensible public policies.
Industry Reviews
"Costa Rican democracy is the oldest in Latin America-older, by some measures, than democracy in the United States. Yet it remains poorly understood. This book helps close that gap. Full of insight and nuance while remaining highly accessible (and beautifully written), Costa Rica: A Different Path to Democracy in Latin America is an outstanding introduction to Costa Rican democracy. I strongly recommend it." -- Steven Levitsky, David Rockefeller Professor of Latin American Studies at Harvard University and New York Times bestselling coauthor of How Democracies Die "Countries do not 'fall out of the sky,' ready-made; countries are laboriously built. Colburn and Prado study the construction of one small democracy, Costa Rica. With deftness and grace, they elucidate the good decisions that Costa Rica has taken in education, health care, management of the environment, economic development, and, underpinning it all, governance. The intellectual novelty of the study is Colburn and Prado's understanding of the links among national identity, imagination, and democracy." -- Alexander Jimenez, professor of philosophy, Universidad de Costa Rica "Successful societies are built by the choices they make-and by the conception of nation that makes those choices possible. Colburn and Prado trace the decision-making processes that shaped Costa Rica, one of the world's most remarkable development stories. Once known as 'the poorest and most miserable' Spanish colony in all of the Americas, Costa Rica has become a stable and prosperous democracy-a 'living Eden' that defies conventional expectations about what drives a country's success. There is much to learn from this study." -- Diana Trujillo, professor of management, Universidad de los Andes
