Democratic Consolidation in Latin America: Recent Theoretical Developments, Facilitating Conditions and Outcomes
✍ Scribed by Davide Grassi
- Book ID
- 102286500
- Publisher
- Swiss Political Science Association
- Year
- 1998
- Tongue
- German
- Weight
- 245 KB
- Volume
- 4
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1420-3529
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Abstract
An increasing number of investigations have dealt with particular aspects of democratic consolidation in Latin America. The multitude of geographic, historical and social conditions underlying the process, however, have often constituted a formidable hurdle for comparative study and generalization. In this paper I undertake a preliminary screening of the existing data and present a summary of facts and theories on democratic consolidation in the region. After an extensive analysis of different sources, I compare the experiences of Latin American countries and define a series of factors that seem to facilitate the consolidation of new democratic regimes. These factors include the beneficial role of earlier democratic traditions, the negotiation of agreements among political elites, diffuse support for the regime, solid party systems, effective control over military participation in society and, to a lesser extent, a favorable economy, especially when accompanied by less unequal income distribution.