The state as a determinant of democracy: durable poor-quality democracies in contemporary Latin America

Munck, Gerardo L.

doi:10.1080/13510347.2023.2267992

Democratization

2023

DOI: 10.1080/13510347.2023.2267992

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The state as a determinant of democracy: durable poor-quality democracies in contemporary Latin America

Gerardo L. Munck

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2024

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Cited by 2 publications

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The discreet charm of the oligarchy: conceptualizing material power and opportunity hoarding

Bogliaccini,

Madariaga

2024

Bus. Polit.

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Stark wealth inequality is consequential for politics, yet the underlying mechanisms are still understudied. We join recent research urging a deeper analysis of how oligarchic interests and material power operate in highly unequal societies by expanding the business power literature to understand new sources of influence based on wealth. We engage in a concept-building exercise for the concept of business power and clarify the similarities and differences between material power and other sources of business power. We then discuss different mechanisms underlying material power and develop the mechanism of opportunity hoarding from the literature on social closure. Opportunity hoarding helps understand how oligarchic interests appropriate well-functioning state institutions for their benefit. We illustrate these mechanisms by analyzing the case of Guatemala, a country with tremendous wealth inequality and pervasive political instability. We highlight the usefulness of our proposed concept structure for analyzing diverse instances of business power and the concept of material power for understanding business influence in highly unequal societies.

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The discreet charm of the oligarchy: conceptualizing material power and opportunity hoarding

Bogliaccini,

Madariaga

2024

Bus. Polit.

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Contrasting Democratic Trajectories: A Comparative Analysis of Costa Rica and Nicaragua

Afşar,

Val Sanchez

2024

MAKU IIBFD

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The main focus of this paper is the democracy process in Central America. It is a case study focuses on Costa Rica and Nicaragua and its respective trajectories towards democracy. Despite their shared historical backgrounds, culture, similar size, and geographical location, Costa Rica has one of the most peaceful and enduring democracies, while Nicaragua has been a tumultuous country with internal conflicts that have directly impacted its democratization. The historical context of colonial exploitation, socio-economic disparities, and political unrest has significantly shaped the contemporary political landscape of the region. This research uses Costa Rica and Nicaragua as examples to highlight the diverse paths of democratic development in Central America. Since 1948, Costa Rica has been a democratic country, while Nicaragua has undergone a dual transition, one through revolution (1984) and the other through democratic elections in 1990. By emphasizing the unique historical peculiarities of the region, valuable insights into the democratization processes are provided. The study uses a historical method to analyze the democratization processes in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. It examines the impact of the conquest period, the role of key factors such as landed oligarchies and military forces, the influence of international economic crises, and the current democratic quality in both countries. The study shows that historical legacies have lasting effects on democracy.

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The state as a determinant of democracy: durable poor-quality democracies in contemporary Latin America

Cited by 2 publications

References 59 publications

The discreet charm of the oligarchy: conceptualizing material power and opportunity hoarding

The discreet charm of the oligarchy: conceptualizing material power and opportunity hoarding

Contrasting Democratic Trajectories: A Comparative Analysis of Costa Rica and Nicaragua

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