ANALYSIS Political Change in Latin America: Limits and opportunities for social-ecological transformation Á lvaro C álix Although there is certainly a case to be had for objecting to many of the deci­sions handed down by Latin America’s ostensibly progressive governments, it would be a mistake to ignore the palpable reduction in poverty, domestic market inducements, rising wages, and improved access to public assets, all of which were eroded under the neoliberal policies of yore. Nevertheless, it is also true that these same governments have failed to capital­ize on these tailwinds to lay the groundwork for transforming their produc­tive models. Instead, Latin American economies have only fallen further down the primary sector rabbit hole, amidst the burgeoning social and environmental conflicts that arise in territories subject to the pressures of extraction. Now is the right time to reflect, in the tradition of wholehearted self-criticism, on the merits, missteps, and challenges sown in the heterogeneous progressive field and, as a result, overhaul and undertake a social-ecological transformation project. Yet the spark to do so will never ignite spontaneously, much less by the good will of powerful interest groups. It can only come about as the result of a heterogeneous grassroots platform with the ability to organize, assert its position, and take political action, joining forces to forge unprecedented social agreements in Latin America. Such is the task of politics, and where better to do it than in a democracy, in a democracy not only able to overcome the failings of the merely electoral and the fallacies of representation without participation, but also to spring free from the trap of participation-cum-clientelism.