Rachel Schwartz is an assistant professor of international and area studies at the University of Oklahoma. Recently, she cowrote an article with Anita Isaacs for the Journal of Democracy called, “How Guatemala Defied the Odds." She also authored a book earlier this year called Undermining the State from Within: The Institutional Legacies of Civil War in... Continue Reading →
Sebastian Edwards is the Henry Ford II Professor of International Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was the former Chief Economist for Latin America at the World Bank where from 1993 until 1996. His most recent book is The Chile Project: The Story of the Chicago Boys and the Downfall of Neoliberalism.... Continue Reading →
By Rachel A. Schwartz For the past several years, Latin America has been in the throes of an “anti-incumbent wave,” with discontented voters seemingly tossing out the old to make way for the new. With the exception of Paraguay’s 2023 election and contests in the electoral autocracies of Nicaragua and Venezuela, every Latin American presidential... Continue Reading →
By Pablo Argote Another Chilean Constitutional Process Begins On Monday, March 6th, a group of experts named by the political parties met in "Salon de los Presidentes", a solemn room located in the facilities of the Chilean Congress in Santiago. The purpose of this meeting was nothing less than to initiate the third attempt to... Continue Reading →
by Sebastian Godinez Rivera The Balance of an Imperfect Democracy Mexico is one of many countries to achieve democracy at the end of the twentieth century. Unfortunately, the phantoms of populism and authoritarianism are back in a significant number of Latin American countries. The wave of outsider figures started in 2018, when leaders with a... Continue Reading →
Wendy Hunter is a Professor of Government at the University of Texas Austin. Recently, she cowrote an article with Timothy Power in the Journal of Democracy called “Lula’s Second Act.” Become a Patron! Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. I do want to underscore this should not be read as a victory of... Continue Reading →
By Gerardo L. Munck Poor Quality Democracies Democracy has become the norm for the first time in the entire history of Latin America. Competitive elections based on universal suffrage for top political offices are held as a matter of routine. The peaceful alternation in power between incumbents and the opposition has become a common feature –... Continue Reading →
By María Isabel Puerta Riera This is an updated version of the Spanish article published by Agenda Pública in 2021. Succession Under Autocracy Some analysts and experts in Venezuelan politics refer to Chavismo as a political movement that demands permanence in power. It repudiates the alternation of power. Moreover, this is not some sort of... Continue Reading →
By Laura Gamboa Why Politicians and Parties Matter Politicians and political parties are among the most despised in the Americas. According to LAPOP, Latin American mean trust for political parties is the lowest for any institution (including the military and the police). Meanwhile, “politician” is used as a shorthand for corrupt, spineless, and sold-out. This... Continue Reading →
By María Isabel Puerta Riera This is an updated version of the Spanish article published by Agenda Pública. Venezuela in Crisis Venezuela's crisis has ceased to be a domestic problem, giving way to a regional concern with global implications. The country's deterioration has triggered one of the most severe humanitarian crises of the last decade,... Continue Reading →
