Guillermo O'Donnell and his Contribution to the Development of Political Science in Latin America

This article analyzes central aspects in the intellectual career of the outstanding Argentine political scientist Guillermo O'Donnell, recently deceased, in late 2011. The article briefly discusses O'Donnell's role as one of the main actors in regional and international political science, as well as his capacity to build institutions and networks during a key time for the field's development. The article highlights his ability to "tell it like it is" in the process of fundamental conceptual construction in the entire scientific field and to orient an important part of the debates.