Abstract
Proponents of neo-liberal reform have pointed to a number of ‘success' stories in Latin America as models of the correct road to stable growth and development. Examining the component parts of the reform packages, the article offers a new interpretation of neo-liberalization in Latin America, arguing that from the perspective of the majority of the urban working class and rural peasantry neo-liberalism has had decidedly adverse consequences. In doing so, it calls into question the accuracy of academic and journalistic interpretations of Latin American neo-liberalism.