Evo's Bolivia

In this compelling and comprehensive look at the rise of Evo Morales and Bolivias Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS), Linda Farthing and Benjamin Kohl offer a thoughtful evaluation of the transformations ushered in by the western hemispheres first contemporary indigenous president. Accessible to all readers, Evos Bolivia not only charts Evos rise to power but also offers a history of and context for the MAS revolutions place in the rising pink tide of the political left. Farthing and Kohl examine the many social movements whose agendas have set the political climate in Bolivia and describe the difficult conditions the administration inherited. They evaluate the results of Evos policies by examining a variety of measures, including poverty; health care and education reform; natural resources and development; and womens, indigenous, and minority rights. Weighing the positive with the negative, the authors offer a balanced assessment of the results and shortcomings of the first six years of the Morales administration. At the heart of this book are the voices of Bolivians themselves. Farthing and Kohl interviewed women and men in government, in social movements, and on the streets throughout the country, and their diverse backgrounds and experiences offer a multidimensional view of the administration and its progress so far. Ultimately the process of change Evo promised is exactly that: an ongoing and complicated process, yet an important example of development in a globalized world.