Argentine Democracy: The Politics of Institutional Weakness [Paperback]

Steven Levitsky (Author), María Victoria Murillo (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0271027169 | ISBN-13: 978-0271027166 | Publication Date: February 10, 2006

During the 1990s Argentina was the only country in Latin America to combine radical economic reform and full democracy. In 2001, however, the country fell into a deep political and economic crisis and was widely seen as a basket case. This book explores both developments, examining the links between the (real and apparent) successes of the 1990s and the 2001 collapse. Specific topics include economic policymaking and reform, executive-legislative relations, the judiciary, federalism, political parties and the party system, and new patterns of social protest. Beyond its empirical analysis, the book contributes to several theoretical debates in comparative politics. Contemporary studies of political institutions focus almost exclusively on institutional design, neglecting issues of enforcement and stability. Yet a major problem in much of Latin America is that institutions of diverse types have often failed to take root. Besides examining the effects of institutional weakness, the book also uses the Argentine case to shed light on four other areas of current debate: tensions between radical economic reform and democracy; political parties and contemporary crises of representation; links between subnational and national politics; and the transformation of state-society relations in the post-corporatist era. Besides the editors, the contributors are Javier Auyero, Ernesto Calvo, Kent Eaton, Sebastián Etchemendy, Gretchen Helmke, Wonjae Hwang, Mark Jones, Enrique Peruzzotti, Pablo T. Spiller, Mariano Tommasi, and Juan Carlos Torre.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book is a compendium of provocative, scholarly chapters that deepen our understanding of the continuing puzzles about Argentina: the failure to establish stable political institutions, the persistence and attraction of Peronism, the power of provincial political coalitions, and the enduring cycles of unfulfilled expectations. The book plumbs difficult theoretical and substantive challenges to Argentine democracy and opens up new ways of thinking about and researching its institutions, thus providing a stimulating teaching text. --Peter Ranis, City University of New York

This volume represents a timely, valuable update on Argentina's democracy and its travails, leading up to the great crisis of 2001-2002. The editors and contributors do a nice job of bringing institutional theory to bear on a host of critical issues, and in doing so reveal just how varied Argentine political institutions are in their strength, endurance, and impact on political behavior. The book is also a reminder of how central politics is to the unfolding and potential resolution of crises that are too often visualized in solely economic terms. --David Pion, University of California, Riverside

This volume is a first-rate collection of original essays that help to explain Argentina's descent from neoliberal showcase to basket case. The contributors shed new light on the institutional frailties and deformities that undermine effective policy-making, distort political representation, and exacerbate the tensions between democracy and market reform. Rich in comparative and theoretical insights, this book is a must-read for students and scholars alike who are trying to understand why neoliberalism so often fails to live up to its hype in Latin America. --Kenneth Roberts, Cornell University

About the Author

Steven Levitsky is John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University. Maria Victoria Murillo is Associate Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 325 pages
• Publisher: Pennsylvania State Univ Pr (February 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0271027169
• ISBN-13: 978-0271027166
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #856,926 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)