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"The proliferation of new mechanisms for participation in Latin American democracies and considers the relationship between direct participation and the consolidation of representative institutions based on traditional electoral conceptions of democracy.Encompassing case studies of Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, Uruguay, and Venezuela, the book draws on original fieldwork to assess how institutions operate in practice, thus illuminating the conditions under which direct participation enhances broader aims of democratic participation. In so doing, it conveys fresh perspectives on the quality of democracy in Latin America today and about future prospects for deepening democratic citizenship"--Provided by publisher.
List of contents
1. Voice and Consequence: Direct Participation and Democracy in Latin America; Maxwell A. Cameron, Eric Hershberg and Kenneth E. Sharpe 2. We're Either Burned or Frozen Out:' Society and Party Systems in Latin American Municipal Development Councils (Nicaragua, Venezuela, Mexico and Brazil); Gisela Zaremberg 3. Participation as Representation: Democratic Policymaking in Brazil; Thamy Pogrebinschi 4. Constrained Participation: The Impact of Consultative Councils on National-Level Policy in Mexico; Felipe J. Hevia de la Jara and Ernesto Isunza Vera 5. Learning to Be 'Better Democrats'? The Role of Informal Practices in Brazilian Participatory Budgeting Experiences; Françoise Montambeault 6. The Possibilities and Limits of Politicized Participation: Community Councils, Coproduction, and Poder Popular in Chávez's Venezuela; Michael M. McCarthy 7. Direct Democracy in Venezuela and Uruguay: New Voices, Old Practices; Alicia Lissidini 8. Participation and Representation in Oaxaca, Mexico's Customary Law Elections: Normative Debates and Lessons for Latin American Multiculturalism; Todd A. Eisenstadt and Jennifer Yelle 9. Democratic Diversity in Bolivia: Between Representation, Participation and Self-Government; José Luis Exeni R. 10. Institutionalized Voice in Latin American Democracies; Maxwell A. Cameron and Kenneth E. Sharpe
Report
"Rather than assume that institutions of participatory democracy necessarily compete for political influence with more traditional institutions of representative democracy, New Institutions for Participatory Democracy in Latin America explores how the two might reinforce each other in positive ways that can improve the quality of democratic governance in the region. Based on case studies from six countries across Latin America, the volume is empirically rich and theoretically innovative." - Philip Oxhorn, Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University, Canada
"This volume provides a consistently original, insightful, and balanced overview of Latin America's diverse efforts to deepen democracy through governance innovations that institutionalize citizen voice." - Jonathan Fox, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA
"Elected politicians do not enjoy particularly high approval ratings in most contemporary democracies and certainly not in Latin America. In an attempt to bridge the gulf between voters and their representatives, a growing number of the region's young democracies have experimented with new avenues of "direct democracy." This illuminating collaborative study explores the range and variability of such innovations, using fresh and first-hand research and observation. The picture that emerges is mixed and by no means stable." - Laurence Whitehead, Nuffield College, University of Oxford, UK
