The Quality of Democracy: Theory and Applications

by Guillermo O'Donnell (Editor), Jorge Vargas Cullell (Editor)

Overview

The primary goal of this collection is to present the rationale and methodology for implementing a citizen audit of democracy. This book is an expression of a growing concern among policy experts and academics that the recent emergence of numerous democratic regimes, particularly in Latin America, cannot conceal the sobering fact that the efficacy and impact of these new governments vary widely. These variations, which range from acceptable to dismal, have serious consequences for the people of Latin America, many of whom have received few if any benefits from democratization. Attempts to gauge the quality of particular democracies are therefore not only fascinating intellectual exercises but may also be useful practical guides for improving both old and new democracies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780268160678
Publisher:	University of Notre Dame Press
Publication date:	10/12/2004
Series:	Kellogg Institute Series on Democracy and Development
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Guillermo O'Donnell was the Helen Kellogg Professor of Government and International Studies at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of Counterpoints and co-editor of Poverty and Inequality in Latin America and The (Un)Rule of Law and the Underprivileged in Latin America, all published by the University of Notre Dame Press.
Jorge Vargas Cullell is coordinator of the Citizen Audit on the Quality of Democracy in Costa Rica and assistant director of the annual report on the State of the Nation, Costa Rica.

Editorial Reviews

"This book deserves to be carefully read by anyone interested in democracy, and especially democracy in Latin America. Its main innovations are probably methodological and empirical rather than theoretical. . . . [T]he book will probably stimulate fruitful arguments about whether or not we need to re-evaluate Latin American democracies in light of the notion of democratic quality. It is a challenging, important, and complex volume." —The Americas

"The primary goal of this unique and compelling book is to provide the theoretical and empirical foundations for what the authors hope will be a new wave of interest in the quality of democracy." —Perspectives on Politics

“O'Donnell fundamentally re-envisions the term 'democracy,' no longer the once ubiquitous-now automatically assumed-polyarchy, but something that draws on literature on democracy, human development, and human rights to produce a radically new definition. Each of these areas, O'Donnell argues, bases its claims on the idea of human agency.” —Latin American Research Review

From the Publisher