Protecting Democracy in the Age of Polarization: Lessons from Latin America
Conventional wisdom holds that, in Latin America, conflict between the president and the opposition is a recurrent source of democratic instability. This presentation shows instead that dysfunctional institutions can help us protect democracy in times of political polarization. A comparative study of 18 Latin American countries between 1925 and 2016 yields important lessons to understand contemporary cases like Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela, but also illuminates challenges to democracy in the United States.
Aníbal Pérez-Liñan is Professor of Political Science and Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, and Editor in Chief of the Latin American Research Review (LARR).