This book explores the making of democracy in Spain during the twenty long years before the death of Franco. The author seeks out the beginnings of democratic struggle at the grassroots of civil society, recounting the story of the countless unsung heroes who prepared the political terrain of this transition. The story suggests that it was social needs and economic demands that spawned individual discontent and political dissent, but that the struggle itself required continual political organization and calculation. The author explores the personal networks and political strategies that...

Governing Latin America is a concise yet comprehensive introduction to the contemporary politics of the region. Focusing on the enduring difficulties of achieving democratic stability, it explores the conduct of government through classic concepts like authority, accountability, and participation.

• The book brings Latin America into mainstream, comparative politics.
  
• The book combines regional and international perspectives into an original synthesis.
  
• The book is organized around comparative topics, not particular countries.
  Governing Latin America is a concise yet comprehensive introduction to the contemporary politics of the region. Focusing on the enduring diffic...

Amidst the many lamentations about the problems of democracy, Joe Foweraker turns his attention to specific questions: Is democracy incompatible with stark social inequalities? Why are so many democratic governments deemed unaccountable and beset by populist pressures? Perhaps most fundamentally, why does democratic theory have no answers to these questions? Foweraker argues that finding answers requires a root-and-branch revision of our thinking about democracy-a revision that asks us to stop talking about "democracy" and start talking about "polity." Drawing on the political realities of...