Abstract

CARRILLO CABRERA, Ulises  and  LOPEZ GOMEZ, Gabriela. Democracy by Method or Democracy by Principle?: Latin America and its Conditioned Commitment With Plurality. CONfines relacion. internaci. ciencia política [online]. 2007, vol.3, n.6, pp.27-35. ISSN 1870-3569.

The process of democratic consolidation in Latin America may seem to be dominated by an utilitarian search of better governments and not by a real commitment to adopt democratic principles and values. This essay analyzes data from Latinobarometer for the last decade and finds evidence of a support for democracy that is associated with low inflation and strong GNP growth. Democracy is far from being the 'only game in town' and is under pressure to obtain specific policy outcomes. Partial evidence suggests that citizens tend to support regimes from the left when they realize that democracy is more a procedural system rather than a regime of effective redistribution of wealth and income.

Keywords : Democratic consolidation; democratic satisfaction; democracy; third wave democracies; Latinobarometer.

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