Book contents
- The Politics of Institutional Weakness in Latin America
- The Politics of Institutional Weakness in Latin America
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- 1 The Political Origins of Institutional Weakness
- 2 When (Electoral) Opportunity Knocks
- 3 The Stickiness of “Bad” Institutions
- 4 Presidential Crises in Latin America
- 5 Coercion Gaps
- 6 Aspirational Laws as Weak Institutions
- 7 The Social Determinants of Enforcement
- 8 A Multilevel Approach to Enforcement
- 9 What/Whose Property Rights?
- 10 Imported Institutions
- 11 Social Origins of Institutional Strength
- 12 Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
1 - The Political Origins of Institutional Weakness
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 May 2020
- The Politics of Institutional Weakness in Latin America
- The Politics of Institutional Weakness in Latin America
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- 1 The Political Origins of Institutional Weakness
- 2 When (Electoral) Opportunity Knocks
- 3 The Stickiness of “Bad” Institutions
- 4 Presidential Crises in Latin America
- 5 Coercion Gaps
- 6 Aspirational Laws as Weak Institutions
- 7 The Social Determinants of Enforcement
- 8 A Multilevel Approach to Enforcement
- 9 What/Whose Property Rights?
- 10 Imported Institutions
- 11 Social Origins of Institutional Strength
- 12 Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The third wave of democratization transformed Latin America. Across the region, regime transitions triggered a plethora of institutional reforms aimed at enhancing the stability and quality of both the new and the few long-standing democracies. Most states adopted new constitutions. Many of them extended new rights to citizens, including unprecedented social rights, such as the right to health care, housing, and a clean environment (Klug 2000; Yashar 2005; Brinks and Blass 2018). Electoral systems were redesigned – at least once – in every Latin American country except Costa Rica; judicial and central bank reforms spread across the region (Jácome and Vásquez 2008); and governments launched far-reaching decentralization initiatives and experimented with new institutions of direct or participatory democracy (Falleti 2010; Cameron, Hershberg, and Sharpe 2012; Altman 2014; Mayka 2019).
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- Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
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