A contribution to a textbook on politics and development, this chapter examines Guatemala as a persistent case of underdevelopment, defining development in terms of social, economic, cultural, and political rights. It analyses historical patterns of state formation and economic development before examining the attempts to reverse historical trends and “engineer development” represented by the 1996 peace agreement. The final section signals the main contemporary causes of the country’s persistent underdevelopment: a patrimonialist and predatory state linked in turn to the strength and conservatism of the private sector, the weakness of the party system, the continuing influence of the armed forces, and extremely high levels of crime and impunity.
(2011) “Guatemala: Enduring Underdevelopment?” in Vicky Randall, Peter Burnell and Lisa Rakner (eds), Politics in the Developing World, Oxford University Press, 3rd edition: 452-464. ISBN: 978-0-19-957083-6.