Democratic survival in Latin America (1945-2005)

• Main Authors: Aníbal PÉREZ-LIÑÁN, Scott MAINWARING
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca 2014-12-01
• Series: América Latina Hoy
• Subjects: democracia; dictadura; actores políticos; preferencias normativas; radicalismo
• Online Access: https://revistas.usal.es/index.php/1130-2887/article/view/12326

Why do democracies survive or break down? In this paper, it returns to this classic question with an empirical focus on Latin America from 1945 to 2005. The argument deviates from the quantitative literature and a good part of the qualitative literature on democratic survival and breakdown. It is argued that structural variables such as the level of development and inequalities have not shaped prospects for democratic survival in Latin America. Nor, contrary to findings in some of the literature, has economic performance affected the survival of competitive regimes. Instead, it is focused on the regional political environment and on actors’ normative preferences about democracy and dictatorship and their policy radicalism or moderation. It is argued that 1) a higher level of development did not increase the likelihood of democratic survival in Latin America over this long time; 2) if actors have a normative preference for democracy, it is more likely to survive; and 3) policy moderation facilitates democratic survival.