Issues in democratic consolidation
Subtitle: the new South American democracies in comparative perspective
By: edited by Scott Mainwaring, Guillermo O'Donnell, and J. Samuel Valenzuela.
Contributors: Mainwaring, Scott, 1954-; O'Donnell, Guillermo A.; Valenzuela, J. Samuel
Publisher: Published for the Helen Kellogg Institute for International Studies by University of Notre Dame Press
Published: 1992
Place of publication: Notre Dame, Ind
Language: eng
Number of pages: 357
Subjects: Democracy -- South America -- History -- 20th century.; South America -- Politics and government -- 1980-
Description: Since 1974 there has been an unprecedented wave of democratization in the world. This trend has been particularly extensive in South America. But the problems confronting these new democracies are staggering, and the prospects for building consolidated democratic regimes are far from uniformly good. Focusing primarily on recent South American cases, Issues in Democratic Consolidation examines some of the difficulties of constructing consolidated democracies and provides a critical examination of the major issues involved. A prominent theme running through this collection is that the transitions from authoritative rule to civilian government may be arrested by political, economic, and social constraints. The articles contain analyses of the varied modalities and complex processes related to the transitions. The first transition begins with the initial stirrings of crisis under authoritarian rule that generate some form of political opening and greater respect for basic civil rights, and ends with the establishment of a government elected in an open, competitive contest. The volumes primary focus, however, is on the second transition, which begins with the inauguration of a democratic government and ends - if all goes well - with the establishment of a consolidated democratic regime.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.