The escalation of Central American strife during the 1980's brought substantial attention to Costa Rica, whose consolidated electoral democracy, lack of a standing army, extensive socioeconomic infrastructure, and relatively high living standards set it strikingly apart from the regional norm. What have been the consequences of the country's economic contraction during the early 1980's and its subsequent neoliberal-oriented recovery for Costa Rican exceptionalism? In particular, what have been the consequences for socioeconomic welfare as mediated by inequalities in the national labor market? This article examines these questions from the perspective of hypotheses on labormarket restructuring that emphasize the comparative impact of contemporary global transformations across the periphery of the world economy.
