Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

La Gobernabilidad Democrática En América Latina: Cuatro Ejes De Análisis, Fernando Barrientos Del Monte

Fernando Barrientos Del Monte

No abstract provided.

The Democracy Cluster Classification Index, Mihaiela R. Gugiu, Miguel Centellas

Miguel Centellas

Using hierarchical cluster analysis, a new measure of democracy, the DCC index, is proposed and constructed from five popular indices of democracy (Freedom House, Polity IV, Vanhanen's index of democratization, Cheibub et al.'s index of democracy and dictatorship, and the Cingranelli-Richards index of electoral self-determination). The DCC was used to classify the regime types for twenty-four countries in the Americas and thirty-nine countries in Europe over a thirty-year period. The results indicated that democracy is a latent class variable. Sensitivity and specificity analyses were conducted for the five existing democracy indices as well as the newly proposed Unified Democracy Scores …

Exclusionary Vs. Inclusionary Populism: Comparing The Contemporary Europe And Latin America, Cas Mudde, Cristobal Rovira Kaltwasser

Cas Mudde

Although there is a lively academic debate about contemporary populism in Europe and Latin America, almost no cross-regional research exists on this topic. This article aims to fill this gap by showing that a minimal and ideological definition of populism permits us to analyse current expressions of populism in both regions. Moreover, based on a comparison of four prototypical cases (FN/Le Pen and FPÖ/Haider in Europe and PSUV/Chávez and MAS/Morales in Latin America), we show that it is possible to identify two regional subtypes of populism: exclusionary populism in Europe and inclusionary populism in Latin America.

Technical Relevance And Social Opposition To E-Voting, Fernando Barrientos Del Monte

Fernando Barrientos Del Monte

This paper makes an assessment of the technical and social motivations that drive some governments to promote and implement e-voting mechanisms. Success stories mentioned, especially those in Latin America, and contrasted with those cases where e-voting implementation has failed, as has happened in some European countries. Finally, the relationship between new technologies that promote e-voting and the nature of the elections as a part of democracy is analyzed. It could be argued that voting is not solely a technical exercise, it is an element that merges different political and social elements that e-voting promoters should not ignore.

Modelos De Gestión Electoral En América Latina En Perspectiva Comparada, Fernando Barrientos Del Monte

Fernando Barrientos Del Monte

A través de un método comparativo se dan a conocer los diferentes modelos de gestión electoral desarrollados a partir de los procesos de democratización de las dos últimas décadas del siglo XX en América Latina. Los criterios más relevantes para realizar el estudio son el grado de independencia y la composición de los organismos encargados de la gestión electoral. Sin embargo, aclara, existen otros criterios que señalan diferencias centrales respecto al modelo de gestión adoptado por un país dado, puede ser un modelo unificado, permanente, con funciones de administración y justicia electoral, y además con una cobertura amplia. Hace hincapié …

Where Is Local Government Going In Latin America? A Comparative Perspective, Robert Andrew Nickson

Robert Andrew Nickson

In the light of the decentralisation process now under way in Latin America, this paper seeks to address the direction of local government in the region. It proposes two Weberian ideal types of local government systems – ‘managerial’ and ‘governmental’. Ten basic features of local government systems are then used as a template to ‘situate’ Latin American local government within this typology. On the basis of this comparative framework, the paper tentatively concludes that the ‘managerial’ type of local government is gaining ground in the region.

Gestión Electoral Comparada Y Confianza En Las Elecciones En América Latina, Fernando Barrientos Del Monte

Fernando Barrientos Del Monte

Political Parties And Institutional Design: Explaining Constitutional Choice In Latin America, Gabriel L. Negretto

Gabriel L. Negretto

The formulas for electing presidents and the rules determining the legislative powers of presidents are important variables for explaining the performance of presidential democracies. This article develops a strategic choice model to explain variations in these institutional features. Based on this model, it is proposed here that constitution makers are likely to opt for more-than-plurality rules of presidential elections when the number of parties necessary to pass constitutional changes increases. It is also proposed that the makers of constitutions are likely to strengthen the legislative powers of the president when the number of parties necessary to pass constitutional changes increases …

“Choosing How To Choose Presidents: Parties, Military Rulers, And Presidential Elections In Latin America”, Gabriel L. Negretto

Gabriel L. Negretto

Students of presidential regimes claim that while the combination of plurality rule for presidential elections and concurrent electoral cycles favors bipartism, majority rule for electing presidents favors multipartism. I argue that a reverse causality also affects the relationship between party systems and electoral systems. Using a bargaining model of institutional change, I propose that while dominant and large parties are likely to choose plurality rule and concurrent elections, small parties are likely to choose majority rule. I also argue that military rulers and mil- itary-civilian coalitions tend to follow the logic of electoral choice of small parties. These hypotheses are …