Hernandez Gonzalez, Manuel
(2024)
The quality of democracy revisited: exploring the effects of
government alternation and presidential power in Latin America.
PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.
Abstract
This dissertation explores two possible causes of the quality of democracy in Latin America: government alternation and presidential power. For that purpose, this work selects 12 of the presidential systems of the Latin American region that will be the focus of the study: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The period to be covered is set between 1974 and 2019, using the beginning of the “third wave of democratisation” as the starting point. The unit of analysis that I will observe is the democratic years within the selected period. These years are determined using the criteria of the Varieties of Democracy, Polity IV and Freedom House indexes. This dissertation opens with Chapter 1 as an introduction, in which I formulate the following research question: what are the effects of government alternation and presidential power on the dimensions of the quality of democracy? Then, I develop a literature review that explores the concepts of the quality of democracy, government alternation and presidential power. In turn, this helps me to set my theoretical foundations and is an attempt to identify gaps in the literature.
The introductory chapter also proposes the methodology to be quantitative, with analyses done through Structural Equation Modelling. The following three chapters are empirical studies that represent the core of this research. In these, I explore the effects of government alternation and presidential power on the quality of democracy, using three selected dimensions: Chapter 2 delves into vertical accountability, Chapter 3 explores party competitiveness, and Chapter 4 focuses on diffuse regime support. Finally, there is a concluding chapter where I summarise my findings and challenges and make recommendations for future research. The Appendix offers additional data and content for the research.
Keywords: democracy, Latin America, quality of democracy, government alternation, presidential power
| Item Type: |
Thesis (University of Nottingham only)
(PhD)
|
| Supervisors: |
Casal Bertoa, Fernando
van der Eijk, Cees |
| Keywords: |
democracy, latin american politics, government alternation, presidential power, executive power |
| Subjects: |
J Political science > JL Political institutions (Canada, Latin America, etc.) |
| Faculties/Schools: |
UK Campuses > Faculty of Social Sciences, Law and Education > School of Politics and International Relations |
| Item ID: |
79184 |
| Depositing User: |
Hernandez - Gonzalez, Manuel
|
| Date Deposited: |
12 Dec 2024 04:40 |
| Last Modified: |
12 Dec 2024 04:40 |
| URI: |
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/79184 |
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