Dados is one of the most widely-read social sciences journals in Latin America. Created in 1966, it publishes innovative works, originating from academic research, by Brazilian and foreign authors. Edited by IESP-UERJ, it aims to reconcile scientific rigor and academic excellence with an emphasis on public debate based on the analysis of substantive issues of society and politics.
Dados vol. 51 n. 3 Rio de Janeiro 2008
Abstract
The objective of this article was to investigate whether the ideology of governing parties in Latin America affects social policies, in a context of globalization under which, according to the literature, national states have lost their decision-making autonomy. The article's main hypothesis is that - all else remaining equal - governments with a leftist majority invest more in social policies than other governments, especially those with a rightist majority. The methodology used to test the hypothesis was econometric analysis of panel data, also known as pooled time series/cross-section analysis. Estimation of the model's parameters used the 'panel corrected standard error' method suggested by Beck and Katz for the analysis of panels with similar dimensions to those of the current study. The principal findings of the econometric analyses corroborated the article's main hypothesis, according to which governments with a leftist majority invest more in the social area.
Keywords: social policies, Latin America, pooled time series
DOI: 10.1590/S0011-52582008000300004
Political parties, ideology, and social policy in Latin America: 1980-1999
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