Informal Institutions and Democracy: Lessons from Latin America

By: Steven Levitsky and Gretchen Helmke

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Synopsis: This volume analyzes the function of informal institutions in Latin America and how they support or weaken democratic governance. Drawing from a wide range of examples—including the Mexican dedazo, clientelism in Brazil, legislative "ghost coalitions" in Ecuador, and elite power-sharing in Chile—the contributors examine how informal rules shape the performance of state and democratic institutions, offering fresh and timely insights into contemporary problems of governability, "unrule of law," and the absence of effective representation, participation, and accountability in Latin America.The editors present this analysis within a fourfold conceptual framework: complementary institutions, which fill gaps in formal rules or enhance their efficacy; accommodative informal institutions, which blunt the effects of dysfunctional formal institutions; competing informal institutions, which directly subvert the formal rules; and substitutive informal institutions, which replace ineffective formal institutions.

Book Quality:: Publisher Quality
Book Size:: 368 Pages
ISBN-13:: 9780801889264
Related ISBNs:: 9780801883521
Publisher:: Johns Hopkins University Press
Date of Addition:: 11/03/20
Copyrighted By:: Johns Hopkins University Press
Adult content:: No
Language:: English
Has Image Descriptions:: No
Categories:: History, Nonfiction, Politics and Government
Grade Levels:: College Freshman, College Sophomore, College Junior, College Senior, Graduate Student, Undergraduate Student
Submitted By:: Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:: This is a copyrighted book.
Edited by:: Gretchen Helmke
Edited by:: Steven Levitsky