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Since 1974 there has been an unprecedented wave of democratization in the world. This trend has been particularly extensive in South America. But the problems confronting these new democracies are staggering, and the prospects for building consolidated democratic regimes are far from uniformly good. Focusing primarily on recent South American cases, Issues in Democratic Consolidation examines some of the difficulties of constructing consolidated democracies and provides a critical examination of the major issues involved.
A prominent theme running through this collection is that the transitions from authoritative rule to civilian government may be arrested by political, economic, and social constraints. The articles contain analyses of the varied modalities and complex processes related to the transitions. The first transition begins with the initial stirrings of crisis under authoritarian rule that generate some form of political opening and greater respect for basic civil rights, and ends with the establishment of a government elected in an open, competitive contest. The volume's primary focus, however, is on the second transition, which begins with the inauguration of a democratic government and ends-if all goes well-with the establishment of a consolidated democratic regime.
“. . . This is an excellent volume that will help readers understand the dramatic changes reshaping political life throughout the globe at the close of the twentieth century. . . . [It] is a sobering and essential volume, reminding us of the risks the new democratic regimes face. . . . Readers seeking some first-rate thinking about these issues will be well served with the essays. . . .” —Political Science Quarterly
Scott Mainwaring is a Senior Fellow of the Kellogg Institute and an Associate Professor of Government and International Studies at the University of Notre Dame.
Guillermo O'Donnell (d. 2011) was Academic Director of the Kellogg Institute and Helen Kellogg Professor of Government and International Studies and Sociology.
J. Samuel Valenzuela is Professor and Chair of Sociology and a Senior Fellow of the Kellogg Institute.