Democracies and Dictatorships in Latin America
Emergence, Survival, and Fall

Presents a new theory for why democracies and dictatorships emerge and then survive or collapse via analyses of political regimes in Latin America since 1900.

Scott Mainwaring (Author), Aníbal Pérez-Liñán (Author)

9780521190015, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 31 January 2014

368 pages, 18 b/w illus. 25 tables
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.5 cm, 0.62 kg

'Democracies and Dictatorships in Latin America takes a comprehensive look at regime change in that region, explaining the surprising endurance of democracy there since the 1970s. Through a parsimonious yet comprehensive theory of democratization that is contrasted with other theories, Professors Mainwaring and Pérez-Liñán provide analysis that will revive interest in these topics. Well organized and well written, this timely book will be of interest to scholars, analytically oriented lay readers, and policy makers alike.' William R. Keech, Research Professor of Political Economy, Duke University

This book presents a new theory for why political regimes emerge, and why they subsequently survive or break down. It then analyzes the emergence, survival and fall of democracies and dictatorships in Latin America since 1900. Scott Mainwaring and Aníbal Pérez-Liñán argue for a theoretical approach situated between long-term structural and cultural explanations and short-term explanations that look at the decisions of specific leaders. They focus on the political preferences of powerful actors - the degree to which they embrace democracy as an intrinsically desirable end and their policy radicalism - to explain regime outcomes. They also demonstrate that transnational forces and influences are crucial to understand regional waves of democratization. Based on extensive research into the political histories of all twenty Latin American countries, this book offers the first extended analysis of regime emergence, survival and failure for all of Latin America over a long period of time.

1. Introduction
2. A theory of regime change and durability
3. Competitive regimes and authoritarianism in Latin America, 1900–2010
4. Regime survival and fall: a quantitative test
5. From breakdowns to stabilization of democracy: Argentina
6. From persistent authoritarianism to democracy: El Salvador
7. International actors, international influences, and regime outcomes
8. The limits of the third wave, 1978–2010
9. Rethinking theories of democratization.

Subject Areas: Comparative politics [JPB], Hispanic & Latino studies [JFSL4]