When Democracies Deliver
Governance Reform in Latin America

Drawing on cognitive-psychological findings and fieldwork, this book explains how government reforms are enacted and why they succeed or fail.

Katherine Bersch (Author)

9781108472272, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 17 January 2019

236 pages, 3 b/w illus. 4 tables
23.5 x 15.7 x 1.7 cm, 0.45 kg

'When Democracies Deliver takes a fresh look at state capacity-building in Latin America, and lays out the conditions under which it has happened successfully. It is relevant both to specialists in the region and to comparativists interested in general problems of political development.' Francis Fukuyama, Stanford University

Why do governance reforms in developing democracies so often fail, and when might they succeed? When Democracies Deliver offers a dynamic framework for assessing the effectiveness and durability of policy change. Drawing on detailed analyses of public sector reforms in Brazil and Argentina, this book challenges conventional wisdom to reveal that incremental changes sequenced over time prove more effective in promoting accountability, increasing transparency, and strengthening institutions than comprehensive overhauls pushed through by political will. Developing an innovative theory that integrates cognitive-psychological insights about decision making with research on institutional change, Katherine Bersch shows how political and organizational factors can shape reform strategies and information processing. Through extensive interviews and field research, Bersch traces how two competing strategies have determined the different trajectories of institutions responsible for government contracting in health care and transportation. When Democracies Deliver offers a fresh insight on the perils of powering and the benefits of gradual reform.

1. Introduction: the varied advances in quality of governance
2. The merits of problem solving over powering
3. An explanation of reform type
4. Transportation in Argentina: powering (re-)creates crisis
5. Transportation in Brazil: powering curtailed, problem solving inches forward
6. Health in Argentina: impeded powering fosters problem solving
7. Health in Brazil: problem-solving success
8. Theoretical conclusions and comparative perspectives.

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