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AbstractAlthough there is a substantial literature examining public confidence in the judiciary in developed nations, scholars have paid scant attention to analyzing judicial confidence in developing countries. Building on extant work regarding developed nations and introducing original hypotheses in the context of developing nations, this research explains influences on public confidence in Latin American judiciaries by developing a theory that focuses on the potential influences of institutional quality, experiences, and individual attitudes. The hypotheses are empirically tested with the rich individual-level data compiled by the Latin American Public Opinion Project 2006 survey. The results indicate that a variety of factors influence public confidence in Latin American courts; the role of context explains points of consistency and divergence with research on developed nations.

AbstractPolitical corruption poses a serious threat to the stability of developing democracies by eroding the links between citizens and governments. Using data on national levels of corruption (Transparency International 1997 CPI index) and individual opinion (1995-97 World Values Survey), this study finds that Latin Americans are quite aware of the seriousness of corruption in their countries. The ensuing question is whether citizens can connect their views about corruption to appraisals of their authorities and institutions and of democracy more generally. Collectively, the findings suggest that they can, and that the necessary ingredients for accountability are present in Latin America. The possible dark side of mass opinion on corruption is that pervasive misconduct may poison public sentiment toward democratic politics. On this score, the analysis found that this attitude affected only support for specific administrations and institutions.

A review essay on books by: John M. Kirk, Politics and the Catholic Church in Nicaragua (Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 1992; Daniel H. Levine, Popular Voices in Latin American Catholicism (Princeton, NJ: Princeton U Press, 1992); & Rowan Ireland, Kingdoms Come: Religion and Politics in Brazil (Pittsburgh, PA: U of Pittsburgh Press, 1991 [see listings in IRPS No. 76]). Kirk takes a traditional institutional approach to the study of religion & politics in Nicaragua. Emphasis is placed on the dynamics of church structures & their impact on the political sphere through church membership. The church in Nicaragua is largely portrayed as a political actor interested in accommodation & maintaining the status quo. Levine takes an individualized approach to the church in Latin America by emphasizing the faith & religious motivation of church members to take personal, social, & political action to better their lives. The rise & significance of liberation theology & the Christian community movement are discussed. Ireland utilizes a qualitative, ethnographic approach to study religion & politics in the northeastern Brazilian community of Campo Alegre. Politics is portrayed as a contrast between different ways of living & is exemplified through analysis of the community's three major religious groupings: evangelical Protestants, Afro-Brazilian spiritists, & the Roman Catholic church. D. Generoli