Latin America’s Struggle for Democracy

2009 Outstanding Academic Title, Choice

“Conveniently summarizes important arguments by leading scholars.”—Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs

“This valuable collection is essential for all.”—Choice

“A good many insightful analyses of recent events in Latin America.”—Daniel M. Brinks, Journal of Latin American Studies

Almost thirty years have passed since Latin America joined democracy’s global “third wave,” and not a single government has reverted to what was once the most common form of authoritarianism: military rule. Behind this laudable record, however, lurk problems that are numerous and deep, ranging from an ominous resurgence of antidemocratic and economically irresponsible populism to the fragility and unreliability of key democratic institutions.

A new addition to the Journal of Democracy series, this volume ponders both the successes and the difficulties that color Latin American politics today. The book brings together recent articles from the journal and adds new and updated material. In these essays, a distinguished roster of contributors thoughtfully examines democratic problems and prospects from the Rio Grande to Tierra del Fuego.

The first section assesses regionwide trends, including the forces behind the much-discussed political “turn to the left,” the travails of the presidential form of government, the challenges of integrating newly mobilized indigenous populations into politics, the need for major reform in labor markets, and the implications of rising populism for democratic institutions and governance. The second section features important case studies of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The final section surveys Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Contributors

Jorge G. Castañeda, Matthew R. Cleary, Catherine M. Conaghan, Javier Corrales, Consuelo Cruz, Lucía Dammert, Daniel P. Erikson, Luis Estrada, Eric Farnsworth, Steven Levitsky, Scott Mainwaring, Cynthia McClintock, Marco A. Morales, María Victoria Murillo, Michael Penfold, Alejandro Poiré, Eduardo Posada-Carbó, Christopher Sabatini, Hector E. Schamis, Andreas Schedler, Mitchell A. Seligson, Lourdes Sola, Arturo Valenzuela, Donna Lee Van Cott

Editors

Larry Diamond is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution of War, Revolution, and Peace at Stanford University.

Marc F. Plattner is vice president for research and studies at the National Endowment for Democracy. They serve as codirectors of the International Forum for Democratic Studies and coeditors of the Journal of Democracy.

Diego Abente Brun is deputy director of the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy.