Federalism and Democracy in Latin America

by Gibson, Edward L.

• ISBN13: 9780801874246
• ISBN10: 0801874246
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-03-01
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr

Summary

We live in an increasingly federalized world. This fact has generated interest in how federal institutions shape politics, policy-making, and the quality of life of those living in federal systems. In "Federalism and Democracy in Latin America," Edward L. Gibson brings together a distinguished group of scholars to examine the Latin American experience with federalism and to advance our theoretical understanding of politics in federal systems.By means of theoretical essays and case studies, the authors address questions of how and when federal institutions matter for politics, policy-making, and democratic practice. They also offer conceptual approaches for studying federal systems, their origins, and their internal dynamics. "Federalism and Democracy in Latin America" provides case studies on the four existing federal systems in Latin America--Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela--and their experiences in dealing with a variety of issues, including federal system formation, democratization, electoral,representation, and economic reform.Contributors: Edward L. Gibson, Northwestern University; Alfred Stepan, Columbia University; Scott Mainwaring, University of Notre Dame; Ernesto Calvo, University of Houston; Alberto Diaz Cayeros, Stanford University; Tulia Gabriela Falleti, University of Pennsylvania; Enrique Ochoa Reza, Columbia University; Michael Penfold-Becerra, Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administracisn, Venezuela; David J. Samuels, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Richard Snyder, Brown University of Illinois.

Author Biography

Edward L. Gibson is associate professor of Political Science and Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence at Northwestern University

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments	p. ix
Federalism and Democracy: Theoretical Connections and Cautionary Insights	p. 1
Toward a New Comparative Politics of Federalism, Multinationalism, and Democracy: Beyond Rikerian Federalism	p. 29
Strong Federalism, Constraints on the Central Government, and Economic Reform in Brazil	p. 85
Legislative Malapportionment in Latin America: Historical and Comparative Perspectives	p. 131
Reallocative Federalism: Legislative Overrepresentation and Public Spending in the Western Hemisphere	p. 173
Federalism and Institutional Change in Venezuela	p. 197
Unity by the Stick: Regional Conflict and the Origins of Argentine Federalism	p. 226
Multiple Arenas of Struggle: Federalism and Mexico's Transition to Democracy	p. 255
Do Federal Institutions Matter? Rules and Political Practices in Regional Resource Allocation in Mexico	p. 297
Electorally Generated Veto Players in Unitary and Federal Systems	p. 323
List of Contributors	p. 363
Index	p. 367
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