New Institutions for Participatory Democracy in Latin America

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 more traditional electoral conceptions of democracy. Encompassing case studies of Bolivia, BRazil, El Salvador, MExico, Nicaragua, Uruguay, and Venezuela, the book draws on original fieldwork to assess how these new institutions operate in practice in order to illuminate the conditions under which strengthened institutions of direct participation enhance broader aims of democratic participation. In so doing, it conveys fresh perspectives on the quality of democracy in Latin America today and the future prospects for deepening democratic citizenship. The theoretical and empirical contributions of the book will stimulate interest among comparativist political scientists, Latin American Studies scholars, and students of democratic theory.