The resurgence of the Left in Latin America over the past decade has been so notable that it has been called “the Pink Tide.” In recent years, regimes with leftist leaders have risen to power in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Uruguay, and Venezuela. What does this trend portend for the deepening of democracy in the region? Benjamin Goldfrank has been studying the development of participatory democracy in Latin America for many years, and this book represents the culmination of his empirical investigations in Brazil, Uruguay, and Venezuela. In order to understand why participatory democracy has succeeded better in some countries than in others, he examines the efforts in urban areas that have been undertaken in the cities of Porto Alegre, Montevideo, and Caracas. His findings suggest that success is related, most crucially, to how nationally centralized political authority is and how strongly institutionalized the opposition parties are in the local arenas.
Benjamin Goldfrank is Assistant Professor at the Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University.
ContentsList of FiguresList of TablesAcknowledgmentsList of AcronymsOverview1.Democracy, Participation, and Decentralization2.A Tale of Three Cities3.Caracas: Scarce Resources, Fierce Opposition, and Restrictive Design4.Montevideo: From Rousing to Regulating Participation5.Porto Alegre: Making Participatory Democracy Work6.Stronger Citizens, Stronger State?Conclusion: The Diffusion of Participatory Democracy and the Rise of the LeftBibliographyIndex
“Benjamin Goldfrank’s proposal to compare various leftist-sponsored experiments in collective participation in local decision-making represents a valuable contribution. . . . This book is an example of exceptional scholarship. It is well focused, explores the theoretical and practical implications of its findings and draws on extensive fieldwork and considerable secondary literature.”—Steve Ellner Journal of Latin American Studies