Understanding Costa Rica's Political Stability

Abstract

This essay presents a new analysis of Costa Rica's political stability in the last four decades. It underlines two basic features during this period: first, the efforts to redistribute wealth; second, the abolition of the army as a permanent institution.

Conservation Narratives in Costa Rica: Conflict and Co‐existence

“…These were paid for originally by the 1949 nationalization of banks and by a 10 per cent tax on wealth. The disbanding of the army released further funds for significant social expenditures; health and education were the main public expenses between 1970 and 1985 (Lo´pez, 1996). High social expenditure has had its rewards; in 1998, Costa Rica ranked thirty-fourth on the UN human development index, second only to Chile in Latin America (ranked thirty-first), and considerably higher than countries with similar per capita incomes (UNDP, 1998).…”