James M. Malloy

Authoritarians and democrats : regime transition in Latin America

By the end of the 1960s, most of Latin America was under repressive military rule. Conversely, the 1980s have seen the emergence of formal, constitutional democracies in Latin America and the Caribbean. Authoritarians and Democrats describes these changes and the future prospects for constitutional government in Latin America.

Democracy, economic crisis and the problem of governance: The case of Bolivia

This article examines the political context within which the Bolivian government of Víctor Paz Estenssoro (1985–1989) launched, implemented, and sustained a draconian neoliberal economic stabilization program. The article argues that the key to the successful economic program was the political skill and leadership of President Paz, in particular, his ability to negotiate a political pact with the main opposition party. Finally, the article ponders the tensions and contradictions between neoliberal economic policies and the process of consolidating democracy in a context of extreme economic crisis.

Latin American Democracy in "Post-Consolidation" Literature: Optimism and Pessimism@@@Fault Lines of Democracy in Post-Transition Latin America@@@Democracy in Developing Countries: Latin America@@@Political Learning and Redemocratization in Latin America: Do Politicians Learn from Political Crises?@@@Deepening Democracy in Latin America@@@What Kind of Democracy? What Kind of Market? Latin America in the Age of Neoliberalism

Intrigued with the question of how societies adopt norms, institutions, and rules associated with liberal democracy, the contributors to this volume examine how political actors in Latin America reorient their behaviour and attitudes to support, adapt, or acquiesce to democracy.