Democracy in Latin America

1 credits · Undergraduate

This course examines the interplay between structural factors, institutions, and key actors in politics and society in order to understand the causes of democratization, democratic stability and breakdown, and contemporary democratic politics in Latin America. Some questions that guide the course are: What drives democratization in Latin America? Why do some Latin American democracies persist and others collapse? Are some Latin American countries facing a new cycle of authoritarianism or rather a different type of democracy? What are the effects of democratization on economic and social policies? The course also highlights the importance of evidence in adjudicating between competing explanations about the causes and consequences of regime change.