ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I present economic data for key economic indicators associated with the region’s “profitability horizon”. I do so in the context of ongoing debates on the relationship between economic crisis and authoritarian politics. Through a comparative analysis, it becomes clear that the period between 2011 and 2019, in which a turn to authoritarian politics became evident, finds strong parallels with the “lost decade” of the 1980s, but nevertheless falls short of a crisis that might be associated with a progression toward fascism or even classic authoritarian politics. The data presented help us theorize the turn to authoritarian politics as part of a new authoritarian state, one which thrives in the context of political, economic and social disorder.
