Democracy in Latin America

Peter H. Smith is Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Simón Bolívar Professor of Latin American Studies at the University of California, San Diego. A former president of the Latin American Studies Association, he is the author of more than twenty books, including Talons of the Eagle: Latin America, the United States, and the World 4e (OUP, 2013) and coauthor of Modern Latin America 8e (OUP, 2014). His works have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese.; Cameron Sells is a PhD student in Political Science at the University of California, San Diego.

I can hardly imagine a better way to combine a great narrative of the political development in the region with empirical evidence supporting each point that the author makes. The book should be the standard textbook for undergraduates and graduate politics interested on democratization and Latin American politics.

• Tables, Figures, and Maps Preface Introduction: Dimensions of Democracy PART I: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES, 1900-2000 Cycles of Electoral Democracy Transitions and Continuities The Military: Heading for the Exits? Global Contexts, International Forces PART II: THE ELECTORAL ARENA Presidents or Parliaments? Institutional Designs Elections: Voters, Winners, Losers PART III: QUALITIES OF DEMOCRACY State Capacity and Policy Performance The Politics of Social Equity Illiberal Democracy The People's Verdict PART IV: DEMOCRACY CONSIDERED 12 The Dialectic of Democracy Epilogue: The Future of Democracy APPENDIX 1 Classification of Electoral Regimes, 1900-2015 APPENDIX 2 Military Coups in Latin America, 1900-2015 Suggested Readings Index