Latin American Democracy

Emerging Reality or Endangered Species?

Edited by Richard L. Millett, Jennifer S. Holmes, Orlando J. Pérez

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• ISBN: 978-0-415-99048-6
• Binding: Paperback (also available in Hardback)
• Published by: Routledge
• Publication Date: 15th December 2008
• Pages: 384

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About the Book

Nearly thirty years have passed since Latin America began the arduous task of transitioning from military-led rule to democracy. In this time, more countries have moved toward the institutional bases of democracy than at any time in the region’s history. Nearly all countries have held free, competitive elections and most have had peaceful alternations in power between opposing political forces. Despite these advances, however, Latin American countries continue to face serious domestic and international challenges to the consolidation of stable democratic governance. The challenges range from weak political institutions, corruption, legacies of militarism, transnational crime and globalization among others.

In Latin American Democracy contributors – both academics and practitioners, North Americans and Latin Americans – explore and assess the state of democratic consolidation in Latin America by focusing on the specific issues and challenges confronting democratic governance in the region.

Reviews

"This cohesive volume provides a comprehensive analysis of recent trends away from democratization. It is written by the top scholars in the field and does an excellent job of looking at topics from both the perspective of the North and that of the South. Unlike other treatments, which focus narrowly on state institutions, this volume goes far beyond that limited perspective and includes such important issues as political culture, populism, crime, corruption, civil-military relations, human rights, the media, and more. A must read for scholars, students, and policy makers."

—Mitchell A. Seligson, Centennial Professor of Political Science, and Director of the AmericasBarometer, Vanderbilt University

"This timely volume addresses the most relevant issues for Latin American democracies today: presidential institutions and the rule of law, women's and indigenous rights, the role of mass media and the exposure of corruption, crime-control and the new roles of the military, populism and the emergence of progressive leftist governments, and the impact of globalization and US policies. Millett, Holmes, and Pérez have produced an ambitious book and a valuable resource for the classroom."

—Aníbal S. Pérez-Liñán, University of Pittsburgh

"This volume provides an outstanding selection of essays from prominent Latin Americanists that deal clearly and in depth with the key challenges facing the consolidation of democracy throughout the region."

—Bruce Bagley, University of Miami

Table of Contents

1. Introduction, Richard L. Millett 2. Democratic Consolidation in Latin America? Jennifer Holmes 3. Measuring Democratic Political Culture in Latin America Orlando Pérez 4. Latin American Democracy: How is it Viewed From the North? Ambler Moss 5. Latin American Democracy: The View from the South Francisco Rojas Aravena 6. The Rule of Law in Latin America Luz E. Nagle 7. Executive-Legislative Relations and Democracy in Latin America Peter Siavelis 8. Feminism in Latin America: Equity, Justice, and Survival Sheila Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres 9. New Politics, New Parties? Roberto Espindola 10. The State, the Military and the Citizen Rut Diamint and Laura Tedesco 11. Democratization, Globalization, and Social Change: An Evolving Human Rights Chip Pitts and Jorge Daniel Taillant 12. Latin American Democracy and the Media Don Bohning 13. Indian Nationalism, Democracy and the Future of the Nation-State in Central and South America Martin E. Anderson 14. The Persistent Attraction of Populism in the Andes Julio Carrión 15. Crime and Citizen Security: Democracy’s Achilles Heel Richard Millett 16. The Left in Government: Deepening or Constraining Democracy in Latin America? Martin Nilsson 17. Democracy and Economic Growth in Latin America Isaac Cohen 18. Is Latin America Condemned by Corruption? Juan F. Facetti 19. The U.S. Role in Democratization: Coping with Episodic Embraces Gene E. Bigler 20. Conclusion Orlando Pérez and Jennifer S. Holmes

About the Author(s)

Richard L. Millett is a Senior Advisor for Political Risk to the PRS Group and Adjunct Professor at the Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management. He is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Historical Studies at Southern Illinois University.

Jennifer S. Holmes is Associate Professor of Political Economy and Political Science at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Orlando J. Pérez is Professor of Political Science at Central Michigan University. He is a member of the Scientific Support Group for the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) at Vanderbilt University.

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