Democratic Institutions in Guatemala

Omar Sanchez-Sibony is professor of political science at Texas State University.

“Sanchez-Sibony’s important collection provides a comprehensive and penetrating analysis that looks beneath Guatemala’s democratic surface and reveals the entrenched clout of various informal, collusive, and even criminal networks. By assessing Guatemala’s main actors and institutions from broader theoretical perspectives, the volume takes a big step toward finally including this interesting country case in the comparative study of Latin American politics. Highly recommended!”

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Guatemalan Elections: Ineffectual Instruments of Democratization Omar Sanchez-SibonyChapter 1: The Perils of Presidentialism: Is Linz Right about Guatemala? Christopher A. MartínezChapter 2: Illicit Networks in Guatemala’s Congress: The Criminal Subversion of Democracy Harald WaxeneckerChapter 3: Congruence and Representation in Guatemala Annabella España-Nájera and Mar Martinez RosónChapter 4: The Waves of Judicialization of Politics in Guatemala Jonatán LemusChapter 5: Purposeful Weakness: How Power Flows Through and Around Guatemala’s Legal System Rachel E. BowenChapter 6: Citizens’ Political Culture and Democracy in Guatemala Dinorah AzpuruChapter 7: The Criminal Threat to Democracy in Guatemala Regina BatesonChapter 8: Why No Parties in Guatemala? Lessons from Party-Building Theory Omar Sanchez-SibonyChapter 9: The Struggles of Guatemala’s Political Left Post Peace Accords Michael E. AllisonChapter 10: Guatemala’s Political Right: Electoral and Non-Electoral Strategies Omar Sanchez-SibonyAppendix: Additional Material for Chapter 3About the Contributors