Latin American Politics

Flashcards on Latin American Politics

Populism

A political strategy where a leader claims to represent the will of the "common people" against a corrupt or disconnected elite.

Key features of Populism

Charismatic, personalistic leadership; anti-establishment discourse; often associated with weak or collapsing party systems.

Inclusionary Populism

Mobilizes previously marginalized groups (e.g., Chávez in Venezuela).

Exclusionary Populism

Appeals to majority groups while scapegoating minorities (e.g., right-wing populists).

Colonial Era characteristics

Highly centralized governance structures; racial and class hierarchies entrenched in law and society; institutions were built to extract resources.

Legacy of caudillismo

Rule by strongmen who emerged after independence; frequent regime changes, unstable party systems, and enduring elite dominance.

Delegative Democracy

Concept where elected leaders govern with authoritarian-style power, bypassing democratic checks and balances.

Ex. Chavez in Venezuela

When Delegative Democracy emerges

Emerges when institutions are weak and citizens are desperate for results, often after crises.

Uprooted Democracy

Democracies lacking institutional anchors like strong parties, autonomous courts, or robust civil societies.

Conditions that foster uprooted democracies

Institutional fragility, Lack of elite consensus, Historical legacies of authoritarianism, Public distrust in traditional parties.

Vertical Accountability (VA)

Citizens’ ability to hold leaders accountable through elections, media scrutiny, and protest.

Horizontal Accountability (HA)

Oversight by other state institutions – such as courts, audit offices, or legislatures – that limit executive power.

Party System Weakness Indicators

Volatility in electoral support for parties; personalistic rather than programmatic party appeals; frequent party-switching by politicians; collapse of traditional parties.

Consequences of Party System Weakness

Opens space for outsider or populist candidates; weakens accountability and policy continuity; undermines democratic stability.

Clientelism

Goods or services (cash, jobs, food, public works) for votes or political loyalty.

Incorporation

Extending benefits to previously excluded groups (e.g., Brazil’s Bolsa Família).

Expansion

Improving benefits for existing recipients.

Universalization

Attempting to cover everyone regardless of income (e.g., Uruguay).

Populist Expansion

Politically motivated, often selective or unsustainable (e.g., Venezuela under Chávez).

Venezuela social policy expansion.

Broad but not durable or universal.

Social Policy Retraction

Cuts in welfare spending, rising poverty and inequality, fiscal austerity measures.

Electoral Impact of Economic Shocks

Economic stagnation, corruption scandals, disillusionment with democracy.

Inclusionary Turn

More social spending, greater recognition of historically marginalized groups, legal reforms and participatory initiatives.

Limits of Inclusionary Turn

Institutional fragility undermined reforms, Unequal access persisted, Inclusion coexisted with repression and elite dominance.

Chávez/Maduro (Venezuela) Populism Style

Highly personalistic and oil-funded.

Morales (Bolivia) Populism Style

Ethno-populism with indigenous inclusion

Chávez/Maduro (Venezuela) Democratic Trajectory

Rapid erosion under Maduro

Bolivia Democratic Trajectory

More stable under Morales, later tensions

Bolivia’s Bottom-Up Inclusion

Bottom-up, demand-driven model of political inclusion; constitutional reform in 2009 recognized Bolivia as a plurinational state.

Venezuela’s inclusion Model

Top-down populism and authoritarian regression; leveraged oil wealth and his outsider status to build a mass movement.

Colombia- Recognition and Peace

Gender and Indigenous sub-commissions.

Roberts’ HPS Theory

Stability may follow, but risks include authoritarianism and institutional decay.

Opposition Strategies to Democratic Backsliding

Broad, united coalitions; engagement in electoral politics, moderation, support from international actors.

Colombia – Political Violence Factors

Long-term inequality, rural land disputes; state absence, drug trafficking.

Peace Accord (2016) with FARC

Rural land reform, Political participation for ex-combatants, End to drug trafficking, Truth and reconciliation.

Impact Segura and Mechoulan

Highlight the inclusive and innovative elements of the Colombian peace process.

Garay Welfare Programs

Discretionary programs are clientelist and selective; non-discretionary are rules-based and universal.

KLY analyze Inclusionary Reforms

Efforts to expand recognition, access, and resource redistribution.

Anria and Others on Chávez and Morales

Arose from outsider positions and sought to expand social inclusion and state control over resources.