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The return of democracy in Latin America has been associated with a decline in political violence, but also with a failure to redress welfare troubles or restore social justice. This essay provides an exploration of these problematic relationships. It argues that the impact of democracy on social welfare and internal civil violence is complex, develops unevenly and is mediated by a host of contributing factors. The bearing of democracy on political violence has been especially weak. In some countries democratic elites played a role in reducing or eliminating armed conflicts by offering a series of political concessions to the opposition, in particular communication channels with the government and social and political rewards. However, political violence survived or intensified under democracy elsewhere, while it was eradicated by force and (less frequently) by concessions in a number of authoritarian settings. Democracy has also affected welfare policies, through the appearance and progressive strengthening of social organisations and political parties that favoured channelling benefits towards the less advantaged. Yet, welfare protection also took place under populist and authoritarian governments, and it was influenced by a series of additional economic, political and social factors. Adapted from the source document.

AbstractThis article aims to assess how democracy affects social welfare by analyzing Uruguay and Paraguay, one country with a vibrant democratic history and a progressive political landscape, the other with a generally authoritarian past and a conservative dominant party. The article maintains that welfare systems in these countries have been critically shaped by the impact of democracy, or by its absence, and by the strategies adopted by major social and political actors, especially parties; these strategies have been determined, in turn, by parties' ideologies and by the workings of electoral competition. The article also emphasizes that the impact of democracy on social welfare is critically mediated by the role of previous welfare legacies, the presence of welfare constituencies defending acquired rights and privileges, and social and economic variables, such as overall wealth levels, the formal or informal nature of labor markets, and the political organization of domestic economies.

El objetivo del artículo es, por un lado, resumir las conclusiones ya alcanzadas por la comunidadcientífica sobre los actuales procesos de democratización en el África subsahariana y, por otro,reflexionar crítica y comparativamente sobre el desarrollo de los estudios politológicos acerca deeste tema. La intención es aclarar dónde y en qué medida existe un mayor consenso entre los estudiososy en qué casos, por el contrario, las opiniones son mayormente discordantes, de manera quesean oportunas nuevas y diversas aportaciones en la investigación. Tras una breve introducciónhistórica, se apuntarán las evoluciones políticas más recientes. Nuestra atención se centrará despuéssobre algunos elementos que parecen especialmente útiles para explicar el curso de las transformacionespolíticas en el área: el desarrollo socioeconómico, el papel del Estado, de la nación y de lasnuevas instituciones democráticas, así como el influjo de la cultura política, la legitimidad y el factorreligioso. Se concluirá con algunas observaciones sobre la importancia de los factores internacionales.

The article identifies & critically evaluates the conclusions reached by the international community of political scientists on democratization processes that have taken place in Sub-Saharan Africa over the last twenty years. Our goal has been to underline when, & to which extent, a consensus on these issues is emerging among scholars & when, on the contrary, opinions are diverse & new & original investigation is needed. After a short historical introduction, we outline the most recent political changes. We focus then on some of the political & social conditions that appear to be crucial in explaining the area's political transformations: socioeconomic development, the role of the state, the workings of the nation & ethnicity, the birth of new democratic institutions, the impulse of democratic culture, the impact of legitimacy & religion. We conclude by briefly discussing international variables. Tables, References. Adapted from the source document.