Special Report: The Latin American middle class (ISSN 17414474)

Establishing the political implications of the at-first rapid, then slower growth of the Latin American middle classes, including perhaps some backsliding into the ‘vulnerable’ category over the last two-three years, is not straightforward. The key issue is how that growth impacts on voter preferences and on the strength of democratic rule. Before discussing that issue directly however, it is worth considering two initial points. The first once more relates to developments in what has been happening to the middle classes in other parts of the world. The second relates to the complex but interesting interplay of actual and perceived class membership.