Abstract

BROWN ARAUZ, Harry  and  CASULLO, María Esperanza. Democratization and neopatrimonialism: Is there a populist wave in Central America?. Rev. Mex. Sociol [online]. 2023, vol.85, n.spe2, pp.95-122.  Epub Sep 30, 2023. ISSN 2594-0651.  https://doi.org/10.22201/iis.01882503p.2023.2ne.60984.

The present and future of democracy in Latin America will be shaped by how it deals with today’s most salient political phenomenon: the rise of populism. In no other subregion is this more evident than in Central America. Presidents Rodrigo Chaves of Costa Rica, Xiomara Castro of Honduras, and Nayib Bukele of El Salvador have been described as populist. That the rulers of three of seven countries might be classified in such a way would suggest a populist wave. This text answers two questions: Are these presidents indeed populist? Is there a populist wave in Central America?

Keywords : Central America; populism; populist waves; Nayib Bukele.

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