Learning Democracy

by Anderson, Leslie E.

• ISBN13: 9780226019727
• ISBN10: 0226019721
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-05-09
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

Historically, Nicaragua has been mired in poverty and political conflict, yet the country has become a model for the successful emergence of democracy in a developing nation. Learning Democracy tells the story of how Nicaragua overcame an authoritarian government and American interventionism by engaging in an electoral revolution that solidified its democratic self-governance. By analyzing nationwide surveys conducted during the 1990, 1996, and 2001 Nicaraguan presidential elections, Leslie E. Anderson and Lawrence C. Dodd provide insight into one of the most unexpected and intriguing recent advancements in third world politics. They offer a balanced account of the voting patterns and forward-thinking decisions that led Nicaraguans to first support the reformist Sandinista revolutionaries only to replace them with a conservative democratic regime a few years later. Addressing issues largely unexamined in Latin American studies, Learning Democracy is a unique and probing look at how the country's mass electorate moved beyond revolutionary struggle to establish a more stable democratic government by realizing the vital role of citizens in democratization processes.

Author Biography

Leslie E. Anderson is associate professor of political science at the University of Florida. She is the author of The Political Economy of the Modern Peasant. Lawrence C. Dodd is the Manning J. Dauer Eminent Scholar Chair in Political Science at the University of Florida. He is the author of Coalitions in Parliamentary Government and coeditor of seven editions of Congress Reconsidered.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
The Democratic Experiment in Nicaragua: An Introduction	1	(38)
Part I Pathways toward Democracy: The Case of Nicaragua
Foundations of Nicaraguan Democracy: Space, Class, and Party	39	(38)
Embracing Electoral Choice: Political Discourse and the 1990 Campaign	77	(34)
Part II Choice amidst Crisis: Public Opinion in 1990
An Empirical Theory of Electoral Choice	111	(28)
Citizen Attitudes in 1990: Candidates, the Economy, and the Regime	139	(34)
The Voters Are Not Fools: Modeling the 1990 Presidential Election	173	(36)
Part III Affirming the 1990 Choice: The 1996 and 2001 Elections in Context
The Post-1990 Context: Democratic Foundations and Public Choice	209	(40)
Reaffirming Citizen Choice: The 1996 and 2001 Elections	249	(31)
Learning Democracy In and From Nicaragua: Concluding Perspectives	280	(41)
Appendix	321	(8)
Bibliography	329	(20)
Index	349