Book Reviews : Latin American Politics: A Primer. By ARPAD VON LAZAR. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1971. Pp. xviii, 157.) Political Forces in Argentina. By PETER G. SNOW. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1971. Pp. ix, 157.) Mexican Democracy: A Critical View. By KENNETH F. JOHNSON. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1971. Pp. xiii, 190.) Patterns of Costa Rican Politics. By CHARLES F. DENTON. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1971. Pp. x, 113. $2.50.)

DOI10.1177/106591297102400434
Date01 December 1971
Published date01 December 1971
Subject MatterArticles
837
troduced
in
1962
was
designed
to
preserve
almost
intact
the
vast
executive
and
legislative
powers
of
the
monarchy
by
limiting
forces
of
popular
control
and
potential
support.
The
authors,
however,
are
not
optimistic
about
the
capacity
of
other
institutions,
particularly
political
parties,
to
provide
leadership
and
authority.
In
addition,
since
&dquo;the
bureaucracy
has
been
at
best
a
neutral
factor
in
the
process
of
political,
social,
and
economic
innovation,&dquo;
the
authors
conclude
that
&dquo;the
monarchy
remains
a
more
effective
modernizing
force.&dquo;
These
two
initial
volumes
in
a
new
series
provide
a
rich
source
of
empirical
data
on
political
change
in
South
Asia
and
succeed
admirably
in
introducing
the
reader
through
understatement
and
appreciation
into
the
complexity
of
the
political
scene
in
Pakistan
and
Nepal.
Sweet
Briar
College
MILAN
E.
HAPALA
Latin
American
Politics:
A
Primer.
By
ARPAD
VON
LAZAR.
(Boston:
Allyn
and
Bacon,
1971.
Pp.
xviii,
157.)
Political
Forces
in
Argentina.
By
PETER
G.
SNOW.
(Boston:
Allyn
and
Bacon,
1971.
Pp.
ix,
157.)
Mexican
Democracy:
A
Critical
View.
By
KENNETH
F.
JOHNSON.
(Boston:
Allyn
and
Bacon,
1971.
Pp.
xiii,
190.)
Patterns
of
Costa
Rican
Politics.
By
CHARLES
F.
DENTON.
(Boston:
Allyn
and
Bacon,
1971.
Pp.
x,
113.
$2.50.)
In
his
foreword
to
von
Lazar’s
introductory
volume,
general
editor
Federico
Gil
promises
that
this
new
Allyn-Bacon
series
on
Latin
American
politics
will
&dquo;fill
an
important
vacuum
in
the
literature
of
comparative
politics.&dquo;
The
series
will
emphasize,
as
its
linking
conceptual
scheme,
&dquo;those
social
forces
whose
influence
and
interplay
underlie
politics
and
which
sometimes
have
a
bearing
on
the
organization
and
dynamics
of
government&dquo;;
i.e.,
a
societal-cultural
approach
to
comparative
politics.
Each
volume
further
will
reflect
application
of
modern
com-
parative
theory
as
&dquo;anchored
firmly
in
a
substantial
body
of
basic
factual
data.&dquo;
The
first
four
books
of
the
series
generally
fulfill
these
expectations,
although
there
is
inadequate
or
distorted
treatment
of
some
key
points
and
concepts.
Von
Lazar’s
brief
but
comprehensive
analysis
of
Latin
American
political
trends
and
methodology
undoubtedly
will
be
appreciated
by
those
seeking
a
solid
handbook-
overview
of
the
field,
especially
by
non-specialist
graduate
students
preparing
for
area
exams
in
comparative
politics.
After
surveying
the
major
scholarly
approaches
to
Latin
American
politics
(Chapter
1),
the
author
emphasizes
the
centralized,
narrowly
based,
and
unstable
governing
institutions
in
most
of
Latin
America
(Chapter
2) ;
the
paucity
of
integrative
political
parties,
particularly
in
the
face
of
demands
for
greater
mass
participation
and
interest-group
representation
(Chapter
3) ;
the
growing
&dquo;incongruency&dquo;
between
the
various
patterns
of
social
change
(e.g.,
urbanization,
industrialization,
and
the
&dquo;marginalizing&dquo;
of
rural

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