Democracy and Authoritarianism in Peru: Political Coalitions and Social Change

ISBN-13: 9780312121532 / Angielski / Twarda / 1994 / 236 str.

Maxwell A. Cameron

Opis

Under what conditions is democracy stable? What forces undermine or reinforce democratic institutions in Latin America? This book suggests answers to these questions in the context of Peru, one of Latin America's least stable democracies. It identifies the micro and macro causes that explain the gradual breakdown of democracy in the period between the 1980 transition from authoritarian rule and the 1992 suspension of the Constitution and closure of Congress by President Alberto Fujimore. Similar 'self-coups' were subsequently threatened in Bolivia, unsuccessfully attempted in Guatemala, and actively considered in Brazil. Democracy and Authoritarianism in Peru stresses how recent changes in the class structure - particularly the informalization of the economy - created social conditions unfavorable to stable political coalitions in Peru. However, it also traces the mechanisms through which democracy has been undermined by exploring the choices and strategies of political actors in response to changing structural conditions. The book provides an analysis of the crisis of Peruvian democracy that weighs the importance of structural constraints and political choices. It is of broad interest to anyone concerned with problems of democratic consolidation.

Spis treści

Acknowledgements - Introduction - Between Democracy and Authoritarianism in Peru - The Social Bases of Shifting Coalitions - The Evolving Social Bases of Party Competition - The Center, Populism, and the Informal Sector - The Crisis in the Left and the Right - Alliance Bargaining in the Democratic Front - The Division of the United Left - The Instability of Democracy - A Spatial Analysis of Multiparty Competition - The Election of an Antisystem Candidate - The Breakdown of Democracy - Conclusion - Political Coalitions and Social Change - Appendix: Elementary Game-Theoretic Concepts - Bibliography - Index

O autorze

Maxwell A. Cameron is a professor of Political Science at University of British Columbia.