In Latin America, strikes can help bring about increases in social security and welfare spending, while mass protests can help safeguard education spending

Can labor strikes and protests influence a government’s policy on social welfare? In new research, Barbara A. Zarate Tenorio looks at the impact of collective protests on the social policy choices of Latin American governments. She finds that in democracies, labor-related protests can help bring about an expansion in social security and welfare spending, and mass protests can help to prevent cutbacks in education spending.