Dylan Vernon's new book on Belize out now

18 August 2022

We are pleased to announce the recent publication of Political Clientelism in Belize: From My Hand to Yours, a book written by UCL Americas alumnus Dr Dylan Vernon and published by The University of West Indies Press. In this work, Dylan Vernon revisits the modern political history of Belize from 1954 to 2013 through the unique analytic lens of the often unspoken but ubiquitous political clientelism, in which politicians provide resources and services to people in return for political support. Presenting Belize as an illustrative and critical case of rampant and damaging political clientelism in the Commonwealth Caribbean, Vernon methodically examines how clientelist politics took root in Belize during the nationalist period and why it expanded exponentially after independence in 1981. He explores and exposes the varied interactions between the widespread day-to-day practices of entrenched clientelist politics, the multiple actors involved and, importantly, the deleterious implications for the quality of democracy and people's livelihoods. Read more about this book here.

The book has attracted significant attention since its physical launch in Belize in July 2022. Dr Vernon has appeared on Belize's morning news show 'Sunup on 7' (link here), as well as on influential journalist and commentator Jules Vasquez's 'Uncut' programme (link here).

The book's virtual international presentation will take place on August 22 2022, at 19:30 BST (13:30 Belize / 14:30 Jamaica) via UWIP's Youtube channel here. The event's programme can be consulted

here

Political Clientelism in Belize: From My Hand to Yours (D Vernon, April 2022) is published by The University of the West Indies Press

Dr Dylan Vernon

Dylan Vernon was Ambassador of Belize to the European Union from 2013 to 2020. Before diplomacy, his career included directing the Society for the Promotion of Education and Research (SPEAR), managing the Belize-UNDP Office, lecturing at the University of Belize and chairing the Political Reform Commission (1999-2000). He participated in almost every governance reform initiative in Belize between 1990 and 2009. He holds a PhD in Caribbean and Latin American Politics from University College London (Institute of the Americas, 2013) and currently directs a governance and social policy consultancy firm in Belize. He has several published works, but 'Political Clientelism in Belize: From My Hand to Yours' is his first book. He is currently working on another book on the record of democracy in Belize since independence.

Links:

Political Clientelism in Belize: From My Hand to Yours | publisher's website

Sunup on 7 interview with Dr Dylan Vernon (July 28, 2022) | link to programme's Youtube channel

Jules Vasquez's 'Uncut' programme with Dr Dylan Vernon (August 3, 2022) | link to programme's Youtube channel

Virtual book launch on August 22 2022 | link to publisher's Youtube channel

Images:

[top to bottom] Flier of the virtual book launch planned by The University of the West Indies Press; Dr Dylan Vernon.