Mike Geddes is currently an Associate in the Department of History, University of Warwick. His academic background is in history and geography (BA Southampton) and urban and regional studies (PhD Sussex). From 1989 to 2008 Mike was Senior Research Fellow, Reader and Professorial Fellow in the Local Government Centre, Warwick Business School. His research spanned a range of issues in local politics and public policy, with particular interests in theories of the state and cross-national comparative analysis of patterns of local governance under neoliberalism. Mike's interest in cross-national comparative analysis led to his current research focus on aspects of politics and policy in those Latin American countries with more progressive political regimes, especially Bolivia. Specific research topics include radical initiatives in local politics and governance; political and policy programmes which claim to challenge the hegemony of neoliberalism; and projects to ‘refound’ the neo-colonialist and neoliberal state. His work includes a forthcoming co-edited book on Latin American Marxisms which ranges across.the 20^thand 21^stcenturies.

Keywords: Bolivia, local politics and public policy, Latin American Marxisms, neoliberalism and local governance