Political Support and Electoral Success in Latin America

Abstract

The political dynamic of Latin American democracies is very diverse. There are systems that fail to engage citizens into participation whereas in others citizenship is actively exercised; countries were politics is practiced in an institutional-formal manner whereas others have taken an alternative-populist road; finally, there are also those that due to internal or external constrains appear to be moving away from democracy. The aim of this panel is to explore some of the historic, economic, political, social and institutional factors that explain the political support generated in these systems and the electoral success of its leaders, specially of those labeled as ‘populists’. Therefore the panel will address two different, though linked, sets of quandaries. The first group deals with issues such as the effects of electoral systems over the quality of representation and system legitimacy, the importance of economic performance in governmental support and the impacts of institutional and social settings over public opinion formation. In contrast, the second group focuses on the political strategies used by elected officials to win elections and how do they connect with their constituencies, and the use of the term populism to describe governments, regimes, leaders, parties or voters.

Title	Details
Consequences of Political Competition in Argentinian Provinces: Cases of Chaco, Corrientes, and Formosa	View Paper Details
Populism in Electoral Campaigns an Operationalisation Proposal	View Paper Details
The Impact of the Economy on Political Support in Colombia and Perú (1985-2012): A Conditioned Effect	View Paper Details