Rebalancing society: Learning from the experience of Latin American progressive leaders

Abstract

This study reports on lessons learned from the experience of 25 progressive leaders in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Uruguay who are engaged in contributing to advance their societies towards a better future. In particular, we examined if the solution to complex societal problems could profit from Mintzberg (2015) ‘rebalancing society’ proposition. The study unveils a strong agreement among them about the most crucial problems faced in the region and, to an extent, how to solve them. Moreover, although these leaders tend to agree with the ‘rebalancing society’ underlying principles, the study also indicates that the proposition does not fully account either for the context of low-quality institutions that is typical of Latin America or for the need for a more profound shift of mentality in the region.