Democratic politics in Latin America and the Caribbean / Jorge I. Domínguez.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Domínguez, Jorge I., 1945-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy--Latin America.

Democracy.

Latin America.

Latin America--Politics and government--1980-.

Politics and government.

Democracy--Caribbean Area.

Caribbean Area--Politics and government--1945-.

Caribbean Area.

Physical Description:

viii, 253 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Baltimore, Md. : Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998.

Summary:

"The transformation of politics in Latin America, the consolidation of a democratic consensus in the Anglophone Caribbean, and the able performance of many democratic governments in fashioning economic policies made this book intellectually possible. Most of Latin America's democratic governments have carried economic reforms more effectively than their authoritarian predecessors and have remained stunningly resilient despite many problems. The naysayers have not been proven right. Indeed, even if democratic governments were to be overthrown tomorrow, the history of democratic politics in the 1980s and 1990s is already noteworthy". -- from the Introduction In Democratic Politics in Latin America and the Caribbean, Jorge Dominguez focuses on the successful accomlishments of democratic politics in the region -- a process that nations in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa seek to emulate. Dominguez considers the role of British colonial rule and United States policies. But he also examines the development of parties, other civil institutions, and competitive markets that lend permanence to democracy. He also discusses the prospects for democracy in Cuba and Mexico. Despite recurrent problems, Dominguez concludes, the outlook is good for stable democracies in Latin America and the Caribbean. Contents: Introduction -- The caribbean Question: Why Has Liberal Democracy (Surprisingly) Flourished? -- Democratic Transitions in Central America and Panama -- Constructing Democracies: Parties, Institutions, Market Reforms, the Military, and the International Environment (with Jeanne Kinney Giraldo) -- Technopols: Ideas and Leaders in Freeing Politics and Markets in Latin America in the 1990s -- Normsof Mexican Citizenship: Are Mexicans "Democrats"? (with James A. McCann) -- Cuba in the 1990s: The Transition to Somewhere -- Conclusion

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [215]-239) and index.

ISBN:

080185752X

0801857538

OCLC:

37239112