Advances and Setbacks in the Third Wave of Democratization in Latin America

In most of Latin America, until the wave of democratization that began in 1978, authoritarian regimes were pervasive. Democracies in many countries were short-lived. Since 1978 democracy has been more extensive and durable than ever before. Most surprisingly, in many countries democratic and semidemocratic regimes have survived despite poor social and economic performances and despite lengthy authoritarian traditions. Yet at the same time the post-1978 wave of democratization is far from an unqualified success. Democratization is truncated in many countries, and it has experienced serious setbacks in such countries as Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuela. From a scholarly standpoint, this pattern of advancement and erosion does not conform neatly either to historical patterns, social structure, or economic performance. While Costa Rica's democracy flourishes, Venezuela's has been seriously challenged. Democracies persist in some countries with high levels of inequality and ethnic heterogeneity but not in others. Poor economic performance probably contributed to democratic erosion in Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, but several other democracies in the region have survived poor economic performance.

This project aspires to chart and above all explain these unanticipated advances and setbacks. Authors wrote on Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Bolivia as surprising cases of democratic advances and on Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela as cases of democratic setbacks.

Publication

The Third Wave of Democratization in Latin America: Advances and Setbacks

Edited by Frances Hagopian and Scott P. Mainwaring

http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521824613