Editorial: Citizenship and Education in Latin America

democratisation has not been effective in constructing representational systems that open equitable political opportunities to the wide population compared to the strong influence of powerful elites; in contending sedimented practices in the formal political arena like clientelism and corruption; and in developing the necessary confidence among its citizens that a legitimate democratic regime demands1. Furthermore, the transition to democracy overlaps with the implementation of a series of neoliberal economic reforms that, while opening certain opportunities to economic growth in some countries, have not been successful in reducing the scandalous socio-economic inequalities of the region and its high levels of poverty (CEPAL 2010; Cortes 2011).