Constructing Democratic Governance in Latin America

This latest edition of this acclaimed text examines four themes vital to building market-oriented democracies in Latin America: the development of democratic institutions, globalization’s impact, socio-political integration, and market reforms. Within these broad themes, the contributors explore how issues such as the performance of political parties, civilian control of the military, human rights protections, and executive-legislative relations are playing out in eight countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. They find a mixed record on many fronts and discuss the uncertain state of democracy in several Latin American states in light of recent institutional setbacks and attempts to overhaul the political sphere.

Edited by Jorge I. Domínguez and Michael Shifter and featuring contributions from more than a dozen leading scholars of democratization studies, this volume provides a concise and up-to-date measure of the quality of democracy in Latin America.

Jorge I. Domínguez is the Antonio Madero Professor of Mexican and Latin American Politics and Economics at Harvard University. He is the author of numerous books, including Democratic Politics in Latin America and the Caribbean, also published by Johns Hopkins. Michael Shifter is Vice President for Policy at the Inter-American Dialogue and adjunct professor of Latin American studies at Georgetown University.