Suchergebnisse

Citizen support for democratic rule is considered by many scholars as a necessary condition for the consolidation and stability of democratic systems. This dissertation studies support for democracy from three different perspectives, with the objective of understanding what does it mean to support democracy in the early 21st century. Through the use of survey data and systematic comparative analysis, the thesis offers three main findings. First, that the meaning of democracy is multidimensional and support for it cannot be captured by any single indicator. Second, that supporting the ideal of democracy is not the same as having support for concrete democratic principles. And third, that the meaning of democracy is context-specific, and thus, citizens from different countries think of different things when they express democratic support.

By applying regression analysis to data from the 2010 Latin American Public Opinion Project's "AmericasBarometer" surveys, this paper examines the correlates of citizen support for democracy in Venezuela. Special attention is paid to evaluations of current economic conditions, satisfaction with the functioning of democracy and trust in the President as potential explanatory variables. The analysis of the models reveals at least two conceptions of democracy present among Venezuelans, which are strongly influenced by the degree of trust in the President citizens feel. The findings suggest the need of studying support for democracy through more complex scopes, in order to acquire better understandings of citizens' attitudes towards their political systems. ; By applying regression analysis to data from the 2010 Latin American Public Opinion Project's "AmericasBarometer" surveys, this paper examines the correlates of citizen support for democracy in Venezuela. Special attention is paid to evaluations of current economic conditions, satisfaction with the functioning of democracy and trust in the President as potential explanatory variables. The analysis of the models reveals at least two conceptions of democracy present among Venezuelans, which are strongly influenced by the degree of trust in the President citizens feel. The findings suggest the need of studying support for democracy through more complex scopes, in order to acquire better understandings of citizens' attitudes towards their political systems.

By applying regression analysis to data from the 2010 Latin American Public Opinion Project's "AmericasBarometer" surveys, this paper examines the correlates of citizen support for democracy in Venezuela. Special attention is paid to evaluations of current economic conditions, satisfaction with the functioning of democracy and trust in the President as potential explanatory variables. The analysis of the models reveals at least two conceptions of democracy present among Venezuelans, which are strongly influenced by the degree of trust in the President citizens feel. The findings suggest the need of studying support for democracy through more complex scopes, in order to acquire better understandings of citizens' attitudes towards their political systems. ; By applying regression analysis to data from the 2010 Latin American Public Opinion Project's "AmericasBarometer" surveys, this paper examines the correlates of citizen support for democracy in Venezuela. Special attention is paid to evaluations of current economic conditions, satisfaction with the functioning of democracy and trust in the President as potential explanatory variables. The analysis of the models reveals at least two conceptions of democracy present among Venezuelans, which are strongly influenced by the degree of trust in the President citizens feel. The findings suggest the need of studying support for democracy through more complex scopes, in order to acquire better understandings of citizens' attitudes towards their political systems.

AbstractThis article offers an analysis of the changes in mass-level ideological polarization in Latin America. It provides a cross-national, region-wide assessment of polarization dynamics using survey data on left-right ideological identities. A novel indicator for measuring ideological polarization at the individual level is proposed, which is more compatible with theoretical conceptualizations of ideological polarization than other existing indicators. The indicator is applied to data from the AmericasBarometer surveys to measure degrees and changes in mass-level ideological polarization in 19 Latin American countries between 2006 and 2019. The study reveals a substantial process of mass-level ideological restructuring, accompanied by a region-wide increase in ideological polarization in Latin America taking place during the second decade of the twenty-first century. We also find that ideological polarization, albeit varying in intensity from country to country, is clearly present at the mass level in the majority of countries in the region.

A inicios del siglo XXI , América Latina se ve gobernada en su mayor parte por gobiernos de izquierda. Varios autores han diferenciado entre una izquierda 'pragmática', por un lado, y una 'populista' por otro. Usando datos de las encuestas AmericasBarometer del 2012, indagamos sobre el perfil socio-demográfico de quién apoya a la izquierda 'populista' en cuatro naciones: Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador y Venezuela. Mediante modelos de regresión logística, analizamos las probabilidades de expresarintención de voto por el candidato o partido del actual presidente de ciudadanos pertenecientes a distintos niveles de educación, riqueza, y otras variables socio-demográficas. Los resultados permiten concluir que no todos los gobiernos calificados como pertenecientes a la izquierda 'populista' latinoamericana reciben el apoyo del mismo tipo de individuos.Palabras clave: izquierda populista, intención de voto, América Latina

El artículo presenta un análisis descriptivo del proceso de polarización ideológica ocurrido en Ecuador durante la década de gobierno de Rafael Correa. A partir de datos de las encuestas Barómetro de las Américas del Latin American Public Opinion Project (Lapop), se propone una medición de polarización ideológica basada en el autoposicionamiento de los ciudadanos en la escala ideológica izquierda-derecha. A partir del indicador propuesto, se realiza un análisis de la evolución de los niveles de polarización ideológica encontrados en la ciudadanía ecuatoriana desde antes de la llegada de Correa al poder, hasta dos años después de terminado su mandato. Entre los principales hallazgos, se encuentra un gradual incremento en el indicador de polarización, que llega a su nivel máximo en 2016, así como un aumento en la autoidentificación ideológica de los ciudadanos, que ocurre tanto con la izquierda como con la derecha. Para finalizar, se discute de forma breve las posibles consecuencias de la creciente polarización ideológica en términos generales y para Ecuador en particular.

ABSTRACTMounting evidence suggests that Latin American democracies are characterized by politics and societies becoming more divisive, confrontational, and polarized. This process, which we define here as the "new polarization" in Latin America, seems to weaken the ability of democratic institutions to manage and resolve social and political conflicts. Although recent scholarship suggests that polarization is integral to contemporary patterns of democratic "backsliding" seen in much of the world, this new polarization in the region has not yet received systematic scholarly attention. Aiming to address this gap in the literature, the different contributions in this special issue revise the conceptualization, measurement, and theory of a multidimensional phenomenon such as polarization, including both its ideological and affective dimensions, as well as perspectives at the elite and mass levels of analysis. Findings shed light on the phenomenon of polarization as both a dependent and an independent variable, contributing to comparative literature on polarization and its relationship to democratic governance.