How COVID has Changed Latin American Politics

Date: 

Tuesday, September 8, 2020, 12:00pm to 1:20pm


This event is part of a virtual series. To watch the recording, click here

Speakers: John Polga-Hecimovich, Assistant Professor of Comparative Politics, U.S. Naval Academy; Maria Victoria Murillo, Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs, Columbia University; and Kurt Weyland, Professor of Government, University of Texas at Austin
Moderated by: Steven Levitsky, Director, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies; Professor of Government, Harvard University

This panel will evaluate how the COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping politics in Latin America.  Many Latin American democracies faced serious challenges before the pandemic, and no region has been hit harder by the crisis.   What are the possible consequences?  Is the crisis likely to further erode public confidence in political parties and other democratic institutions, strengthening anti-democratic actors?  Might it create opportunities for democratic reform?

Presented in collaboration with Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and Institute of Latin American Studies at Columbia University