Conclusions: Government Performance, Political Representation, and Public Perceptions of Contemporary Democracy in Latin America

Abstract

A quarter century after the Third Wave of democratization began in Latin America, democratic regimes have never been as prevalent or even as secure in Latin America. There have been no reversals of democracy to speak of in the past quarter century – only in Peru in 1992 was there a partial exception to democratic rule, and only in Cuba today is an authoritarian leader so firmly entrenched that uncertainty remains about the way to effect a democratic transition. In most of the continent, that transition took place so long ago that an entire generation cannot remember living at a time when they could not vote for their leaders. Yet, all is not well. Public support and enthusiasm for democracy is as weak as it has perhaps ever been. When asked specifically whether or not they prefer democracy to any other form of government, Latin Americans manifest high rates of ambivalence. Latinobarómetro data – published annually in The Economist magazine – shows that Latin America is replete with “doubting democrats.” On average, in 2003 only slightly more than half of Latin Americans agreed with the statement that “democracy is preferable to any other kind of government” ( The Economist 2003: 33), and 52 percent of respondents across the region agreed that they would “not mind a non-democratic government in power if it could solve the economic problems” (Latinobarómetro 2003: 12). Only in Honduras, Venezuela, and Mexico has public support for democracy not eroded in the past seven years (see Table 1.11).

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