Democratic Reforms, Institutional Fixes, and Political Failures

Abstract

This essay reviews the following works:The Two Faces of Institutional Innovation: Promises and Limits of Democratic Participation in Latin America. By Leonardo Avritzer. Northampton: Edward Elgar, 2017. Pp. 192. $39.95 paperback. ISBN: 9781786436641. The DNA of Constitutional Justice in Latin America: Politics, Governance, and Judicial Design. By Daniel M. Brinks and Abby Blass. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. Pp. xvi + 280. $34.99 paperback. ISBN: 9781316630914. Fixing Democracy: Why Constitutional Change Often Fails to Enhance Democracy in Latin America. By Javier Corrales. Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press, 2018. Pp. ix + 288. $31.95 paperback. ISBN: 9780190868901. ¿Por qué necesitamos una nueva constitución? By Claudia Heiss. Santiago de Chile: Aguilar, 2020. Pp. 140. $6.99 e-book. ISBN: 9789566063049. Democracy from Above? The Unfulfilled Promise of Nationally Mandated Participatory Reforms. By Stephanie L. McNulty. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2019. Pp. 248. $28.00 paperback. ISBN: 9781503608948. Cómo hicieron la Constitución de 1917. By Ignacio Marván Laborde. Mexico City: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2017. Pp. 324. $15.95 paperback. ISBN: 9786077457664. Building Participatory Institutions in Latin America: Reform Coalitions and Institutional Change. By Lindsay Mayka. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019. Pp. xviii + 320. $80.41 hardcover. ISBN: 9781108470872. Democracy at Work: Pathways to Well-Being in Brazil. By Brian Wampler, Natasha Borges Sugiyama, and Michael Touchton. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019. Pp. xvii + 370. $79.71 hardcover. ISBN: 9781108493147.