ABSTRACT
This chapter lays the ground for a comparative and theoretical discussion of the multiple challenges and mounting pressures that the rule of law faces in the pursuit of governability for development in contemporary Latin America. It does so by addressing how the rule of law interacts with development and democracy. The rule of law is widely seen by scholars and experts as contributing both to economic development and democratic governance. However, this linkage is not straightforward – it is a contested process where the interests of diverse actors need to be reconciled. Latin America is at a crossroads in which new economic development projects bring to the fore tensions between the interests of various communities and actors, both private and public, that are affected by those projects. The chapter discusses three theoretical moves and seeks to contribute to scholarship on the rule of law in areas that are understudied and merit closer attention. The first is how the rule of law is invoked in disputes over competing ideas about development in the region. The second is the development of an expansive understanding of the rule of law as encompassing much more than the enforcement of rules. The third draws attention to the contrast between idealized views of the rule of law and a behavioural perspective of such matters.
