Diccionario de la Democracia


Book Description

El Diccionario de la Democracia contiene la teoría y la ideología de los regímenes democráticos: sus antecedentes; orígenes; principios; modalidades de deliberación y leyes; sus instituciones clave y variedades, acorde con la clase social que los dirija y el arreglo institucional correlativo. Asimismo compara sus principios, leyes e instituciones con otros regímenes, particularmente con sus opuestos, las oligarquías o gobiernos de pocos, pero también con la república, la tiranía y la realeza; las razones de Estado que permiten su conquista, conservación y estabilidad; las fuentes internas y externas que los amenazan; las maneras de corromperse y las revoluciones que los afectan. Trata también de los usos, costumbres y caracteres democráticos; inventaría los rasgos éticos de la vida democrática, por sí mismos y comprobados con los de los ricos, las clases medias y los tiranos, hasta detallar las relaciones que sostienen entre sí dirigentes y dirigidos, hombres y mujeres, viejos, jóvenes, maestros y alumnos, ciudadanos y animales..., por el impacto que la libertad e igualdad popular tienen en la vida pública y privada de sus pueblos. Parte medular del mismo es la exposición de las doctrinas, dogmas, leyes e instituciones del modelo liberal moderno de la democracia; un credo que se analiza en calidad de justificación del nouveau régime por parte de sus ideólogos modernos más destacados y lúcidos, quienes desvían el significado de las palabras ] democracia ] y ] liberal ] atribuidas sin más a los Estados modernos.




South America, Central America and the Caribbean 2002


Book Description

South America, Central America and the Caribbean 2002has been thoroughly revised and updated by Europa's experienced editorial team. The information included is as invaluable to those who know little of the region as it is to the seasoned businessman or academic. It should be in the reference collections of public and academic libraries, international organizations, trade and industrial companies, diplomats, government and the media. Containing a wealth of up-to-date information on the 48 countries and territories of the region, this reference provides a unique perspective on the region with its exhaustive collection of facts, up-to-date statistics, extensive directory details and expert comment.




Buttress’s World Guide to Abbreviations of Organizations


Book Description

The previous edition of this directory extended its coverage of the Far East, Australasia and Latin America, areas previously under-represented. For this new edition emphasis has been given to increasing the number of entries for organizations from Britain, the United States and Australia, and particular attention has been paid to new political organizations in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The number of entries included has gone up to over 68,000 of which over 9,000 are new or amended. Cross-references from defunct organizations in the previous edition have been deleted, and references (indicated by ex and now) added for organizations which have changed their name since the previous edition. As before, the range of organizations included is broad and only purely local organizations have been excluded. This directory therefore lists official and unofficial organizations, national and international, on all SUbjects: political, economic and social. Acronyms of parent bodies of subsidiary organizations are given where appropriate and equivalencies are used to link acronyms in different languages for the same organization. Further information about the organizations listed can be found in the sources listed in the bibliography. I would like to thank Henry Heaney and Graeme Mackintosh for their advice, and David Grinyer for his technical support. L. M. Pitman Bibliography Adams, R. (ed.) (1993) Centres & Bureaux: A Directory of UK Concentrations of Effort. Information and Expertise, 2nd edn, CBD Research, Beckenham. Barrett, lK. (1993) Encyclopedia of Women's Associations Worldwide, Gale, London.




Electoral Rules and Democracy in Latin America


Book Description

During Latin America's third democratic wave, a majority of countries adopted a runoff rule for the election of the president, effectively dampening plurality voting, opening the political arena to new parties, and assuring the public that the president will never have anything less than majority support. In a region in which undemocratic political parties were common and have often been dominated by caudillos, cautious naysayers have voiced concerns about the runoff process, arguing that a proliferation of new political parties vying for power is a sign of inferior democracy. This book is the first rigorous assessment of the implications of runoff versus plurality rules throughout Latin America, and demonstrates that, in contrast to early scholarly skepticism about runoff, it has been positive for democracy in the region. Primarily through qualitative analysis for each country, the author argues that, indeed, an important advantage of runoff is the greater openness of the political arena to new parties--at the same time that measures can be taken to inhibit party proliferation. In this context, it is also the first volume to address whether or not a runoff rule with a reduced threshold (for example, 40% with a 10-point lead) is a felicitous compromise between majority runoff and plurality. The book considers the potential for the superiority of runoff to travel beyond Latin America--in particular, and rather provocatively, to the United States.




South America, Central America and the Caribbean 2003


Book Description

Introductory surveys cover topics of regional importance; individual country chapters include analysis, statistics and directory information; plus information on regional organizations




Politics Latin America


Book Description

"This is a volume which will become invaluable to those attempting to guide the neophyte through the maze of politics in Latin America" - Journal of Latin American Studies Politics Latin America examines the role of Latin America in the world and its importance to the study of politics with particular emphasis on the institutions and processes that exist to guarantee democracy and the forces that threaten to compromise it. Now in its second edition and fully revised to reflect recent developments in the region, Politics Latin America provides students and teachers with an accessible overview of the region’s unique political and economic landscape, covering every aspect of governance in its 21 countries. The book examines the international relations of Latin American states as they seek to carve out a role in an increasingly globalised world and will be an ideal introduction for undergraduate courses in Latin American politics and comparative politics.




Spain After Franco


Book Description




Conservative Parties, the Right, and Democracy in Latin America


Book Description

Under what conditions do political institutions develop that are capable of promoting economic and social elites' accommodation to democracy? The importance of this question for research on regime change and democracy in Latin America lies in two established political facts: alliances between upper-class groups and the armed forces have historically been a major cause of military intervention in the region, and countries with electorally viable national conservative parties have experienced significantly longer periods of democratic governance since the 1920s and 1930s than have countries with weak conservative parties. The contributors to this book examine the relationship between the Right and democracy in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Peru, and Venezuela during the 1980s and 1990s. The authors focus particularly on the challenges that democratization may pose to upper-class groups; the political role of conservative parties and their electoral performance during these two crucial decades; and the relationships among conservative party strength or weakness, different modes of elite interest representation, and economic and social elites' support for political democracy. The volume includes a statistical appendix with data on conservative parties' electoral performance in national elections during the 1980s and 1990s in these seven countries. Contributors: Atilio A. Borón, Universidad de Buenos Aires • Catherine M. Conaghan, Queen's University • Michael Coppedge, University of Notre Dame • John C. Dugas, Kalamazoo College • Manuel Antonio Garretón, Universidad de Chile • Scott Mainwaring, University of Notre Dame • Rachel Meneguello, Universidade de Campinas • Kevin J. Middlebrook, University of California, San Diego • Timothy J. Power, Florida International University • Elisabeth J. Wood, New York University.




The South America Handbook


Book Description

First Published in 2002. The Regional Handbooks of Economic Development series provides accessible overviews of countries within their larger domestic and international contexts, focusing on the relations among regions as they meet the challenges of the twenty first century. The series allows the non-specialist student to explore a wide range of complex factors-social and political as well as economic-that affect the growth of developing regions in Asia, Europe, and South America. Each Handbook provides an overview chapter discussing the region's economic conditions within an historical and political context, as well as 20 or more chapter-length essays written by recognized experts, which analyze the key issues affecting a region's economy: its population, natural resources, foreign trade, labor problems, and economic inequalities, and other vital factors. In addition, the volumes offer useful support materials, including a series of appendices that include a detailed chronology of events in the region, a glossary of terms, biographical entries on key personalities, an annotated bibliography of further reading, and a comprehensive analytical index.




Daniel Cosío Villegas:


Book Description

Las entrevistas que el profesor de la Universidad de California en Berkeley, James J. Wilkie, y su esposa Edna Monzón Wilkie le hicieron a don Daniel en el año de 1964 no sólo constituyen un espléndido ejercicio de historia oral, a medio camino de la autobiografía y de las memorias tanto como del oficio de historiar, sino un material de lectura e investigación ineludible para quien aspire a estudiar con mayor hondura y alcance el periodo histórico en cuestión, al personaje protagonista, y a su trasfondo y paisaje. La entrevista aquí presentada, en edición y notas de Rafael Rodríguez Castañeda, Adolfo Castañón y Diego Flores Magón, formó parte en su origen de una obra de más amplia envergadura, editada hace más de quince años en 1995, en cuatro volúmenes e incluía a otros dieciséis protagonistas de aquella etapa constructiva de la Revolución Mexicana. En el curso a la par simpático y acucioso de este ensayo impecable de historia oral, pautado por las preguntas hechas por los investigadores, va reconstruyéndose el itinerario, los años de formación y de aprendizaje, las ideas rectoras y la génesis de este eminente historiador, investigador, escritor, maestro y creador de instituciones, "caudillo y empresario cultural" (para aludir a las expresiones acuñadas por su biógrafo Enrique Krauze), que fue don Daniel Cosío Villegas.