Democratic Drift in Latin America

Abstract

This essay assesses the situation of democracy in Latin America in the first decade of the twenty-first century. Although we cannot speak of a generalized pattern of democratic erosion in the region, several trends present concerns for democratic forces. Our analysis identifies four distinct trajectories: democratic erosions (Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Honduras, and Nicaragua), democratic stagnation (Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, and Paraguay), stable but defective democracies (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Peru), and regimes that, despite obvious problems, can be considered as high-quality democracies (Chile, Costa Rica, and Uruguay). The essay concludes by identifying four factors that may explain the divergent trajectories: levels of development, state capacity, party system institutionalization, and the nature of political leadership.