Protest and pandemic in Costa Rica during 2020: actors, repertoires and claims

Abstract

The manuscript discusses the behavior and main trends of the 2020 social protest in Costa Rica during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a methodology based on the Analysis of Protest Events, it explores the prevailing patterns in terms of the actors, repertoires and demands that marked the disputes during the period. Among other conclusions, it shows that after a short “latency” period of the protest during the first months of the pandemic, in which it predominated in institutional repertoires; During the second half of 2020, there was an intensification of street demonstrations marked by confrontations over health restrictions, their effects on the economy and trade, and measures to provide public institutions with resources to cope to the pandemic and the economic crisis, including a negotiation proposal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).