LIBERAL AND ILLIBERAL DEMOCRACY

READINGS Smith, Democracy, chs. 9-11

The Rise of Electoral Democracy,

THE CONCEPT OF ILLIBERAL DEMOCRACY Distinct Dimensions of Democracy: Free and Fair Elections Citizen Rights Systematic Curtailment of Citizen Rights

Democracy, Elections, and Citizen Rights: A Typology Citizen RightsCharacter of Elections Free and FairFree not FairNone ExpansiveLiberal DemocracyLiberal/Permissive Semidemocracy (Null) LimitedIlliberal DemocracyIlliberal/Restrictive Semidemocracy Moderate Dictablanda Minimal(Null)Repressive Semidemocracy Hard-Line Dictadura

Journalists Killed in Latin America, Country___ __ ____ __ Colombia Peru12 3 Mexico10 46 Brazil 8 12 Haiti 4 8 Argentina 3 1 Guatemala 3 9 Venezuela 2 6 Chile 1 0 Dominican Republic 1 4 Honduras 1 12 Paraguay 1 2 Other 0 5 Total Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, Attacks on the Press in 1999 (New York: CPJ, 2000), 23; and cpj.org/killed/americas.

Electoral Regimes and Freedom of the Press, 1990s _________________Regime____________________ Press____AutocracySemi-Democracy Democracy Not Free Partly Free Free Totals

FH scores of 1-2 = Extensive FH scores of 3-4 = Partial FH scores of 5-7 = Minimal CLASSIFYING CITIZEN RIGHTS (Freedom House scales for “Civil Liberties”)

________________Regime___________________ Civil Liberties___AutocracySemi-DemocracyDemocracy Minimal Partial Extensive Totals

_________________Regime_________________ Civil Liberties___AutocracySemi-DemocracyDemocracy Minimal Partial Extensive Totals

Political Regimes in 1999: Countries and Population N % Regime Type_____Countries__ __Population__ Liberal Democracy 3<5 Illiberal Democracy Illiberal Semi-Democracy 5 33 Autocracy 1 2

Liberal and Illiberal Democracy,

AND NOW…? Liberal Democracy (n=7)  Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Panama, Uruguay Illiberal Democracy (n=7)  Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru Illiberal Semidemocracy (n=5)  Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Venezuela Authoritarian (1)  Cuba

Why Illiberal Democracy? In case of center and center-right democracies, the illiberal regimes:  Protect elite interests  Control the popular masses  Under the rubric of free and fair elections  Thus gaining international approval. In case of progressive “new left” regimes, the opposition:  Has the money  Has control of the press  Has institutional bastions of power (e.g., congress or courts)  Does not play by democratic rules

SO WHAT? PENDULUMS OF POLITICS : democracy not “dangerous,” orchestrated by elites : democracy becomes dangerous, with mass mobilization and calls for sweeping socioeconomic reform 1978-present: democracy initially “tame” not dangerous, with neoliberal consensus 1998-present: democracy dangerous again, with rise of new Left

LOOKING AHEAD I Interim Developments: 43% “democrats,” 30.5% “ambivalent,” 26.5% “nondemocratic” Economic growth (reducing poverty + inequality) 9/11 and its aftermath The Problem of Consolidation: Longevity? Of what? Deepening From illiberal to liberal democracy? Or not?

LOOKING AHEAD II The greater the frustration within the population, The greater the sympathy with anti-establishment movements, The more extensive the general participation in elections, The more clearly defined the partisan or ideological alternatives, and The more effective the role of representative institutions…

LOOKING AHEAD III The more divisive will be debates over policy content in Latin America, The greater the likelihood of nationalistic and/or anti- establishment policies, The greater the resistance to demands from the United States, and The greater the probability of policy conflicts with Washington. Thus: the greater the degree of democracy in Latin America, the greater the degree of inter-American tension and disagreement.

The End