Dissonances : democratic critiques of democracy / Guillermo O'Donnell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

O'Donnell, Guillermo A.

Contributor:

Helen Kellogg Institute for International Studies.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy.

Democratization--Latin America.

Democratization.

Latin America.

Physical Description:

xiii, 179 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Notre Dame, Ind. : University of Notre Dame Press, [2007]

Summary:

"In 1999 I published a book with a collection of articles I wrote during the two decades preceding it. I titled it Counterpoints because, as its subtitle indicates, these texts deal with authoritarianism, democracy, and their mutual implications. The present volume is another collection of articles, published after Counterpoints. Its title, Dissonances, expresses my feelings about the democracies we have achieved in Latin America and elsewhere, and my belief that they must be submitted to what the subtitle indicates: Democratic Critiques of Democracy.

This entails a double reference. On one hand, we should never forget the horrors of the authoritarian regimes that plagued a good part of Latin America. This is the point of no return, and nothing will ever justify returning to such regimes. On the other hand, the flaws of our present democracies are as serious as they are evident."

Guillermo O'Donnell, one of Latin America's most influential political scientists, here brings together a collection of recent essays. This volume includes his agenda-setting essays on democratic theory, accountability, the rule of law, and the role of the state in new democracies. While progress has been made in democratization, legacies of authoritarianism and social inequality hang as shadows over that advancement. O'Donnell engages in his analysis while keeping a firm gaze on the dangers and challenges that lie ahead. O'Donnell's work has influenced a generation of political scientists. The essays in this volume open fascinating research areas and will be of interest to scholars concerned with democratization, the rule of law, and comparative politics.

Contents:

Democratic theory and comparative politics

Horizontal accountability in new democracies

Horizontal accountability : the legal institutionalization of mistrust

Notes on various accountabilities and their interrelations

Polyarchies and the (un)rule of law in Latin America : a partial conclusion

Social sciences in Latin America : looking at the past and glancing at the future.

Notes:

"The Helen Kellogg Institute for International Studies"--Ser. t.p.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 155-172) and index.

ISBN:

9780268037284

0268037280

OCLC:

131066420