New Institutions for Participatory Democracy in Latin America Voice and Consequence

by Cameron, Maxwell A.; Hershberg, Eric; Sharpe, Kenneth E.

• ISBN13: 9781137270573
• ISBN10: 1137270578
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-11-27
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

This volume describes and analyzes the proliferation of new mechanisms for participation in Latin American democracies and considers the relationship between direct participation and the consolidation of representative institutions based on traditional electoral conceptions of democracy. Encompassing case studies of Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, Uruguay, and Venezuela, the book draws on original fieldwork to assess how institutions operate in practice, thus illuminating the conditions under which direct participation enhances broader aims of democratic participation. In so doing, it conveys fresh perspectives on the quality of democracy in Latin America today and about future prospects for deepening democratic citizenship.

Author Biography

Maxwell A. Cameron is a professor of Political Science and director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions at the University of British Columbia. His most recent publication is Latin America's Left Turns: Politics, Policies and Trajectories of Change, co-edited with Eric Hershberg.

Eric Hershberg is a professor of Political Science and director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University.

Kenneth E. Sharpe is the William R. Kennan Jr. Professor of Political Science at Swarthmore College. His current research focuses on character and practical wisdom.

Table of Contents

Voice and Consequence: Direct Participation and Democracy in Latin America—Maxwell A. Cameron, Eric Hershberg and Kenneth E. SharpeWe're Either Burned or Frozen Out:' Society and Party Systems in Latin American Municipal Development Councils (Nicaragua, Venezuela, Mexico and Brazil)—Gisela ZarembergParticipation as Representation: Democratic Policymaking in Brazil—Thamy PogrebinschiConstrained Participation: The Impact of Consultative Councils on National-Level Policy in Mexico—Felipe J. Hevia de la Jara and Ernesto Isunza VeraLearning to Be 'Better Democrats'? The Role of Informal Practices in Brazilian Participatory Budgeting Experiences—Françoise MontambeaultThe Possibilities and Limits of Politicized Participation: Community Councils, Coproduction, and Poder Popular in Chávez's Venezuela—Michael M. McCarthyDirect Democracy in Venezuela and Uruguay: New Voices, Old Practices—Alicia LissidiniParticipation and Representation in Oaxaca, Mexico's Customary Law Elections: Normative Debates and Lessons for Latin American Multiculturalism—Todd A. Eisenstadt and Jennifer YelleDemocratic Diversity in Bolivia: Between Representation, Participation and Self-Government—José Luis Exeni R.Institutionalized Voice in Latin American Democracies—Maxwell A. Cameron and Kenneth E. Sharpe