Political Right in Postauthoritarian Brazil

Timothy J. Power is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Florida International University.

“This book makes a significant, original contribution to Brazilian political studies in the post-authoritarian period as well as to the extensive case-study and comparative literature on democratic transitions and consolidations. It weaves together in sophisticated, carefully nuanced, and persuasive fashion a large body of literature in English and Portuguese bearing on elites, parties, electoral systems, and representative institutions. Power succeeds in shedding new light on the behavior of professional politicians affiliated with pro-authoritarian parties as they adapt to the more open and competitive political environment. I expect Power’s book will become an obligatory reference for future work in Brazil and elsewhere on political elites and representative institutions. It should rapidly become a standard item on the bookshelf of all Brazilianists who study contemporary Brazilian politics and history.”—William Smith, University of Miami