Liberalization and Redemocratization in Latin America - (Contributions in Political Science) by George a Lopez & Michael Stohl (Hardcover)

About the Book

This volume is the product of three coalitions of research interests focused on a single topic of inquiry: the processes of liberalization and democratization within authoritarian regimes in Latin America. The three branches of research may be characterized as, first, individuals researching the changing character of human rights violations, repression, and state terror in various Latin American nations; second, scholars of redemocratization (the process through which governments gradually revert to a more democratic regime); and third, experts in the comparative analysis of Latin American politics who believe that a cross-national perspective is necessary to complement current theoretical and case study work on liberalization and redemocratization. The opening chapter provides a theoretical basis for the discussion, and the closing essay analyzes the relationship between redemocratization in Latin America and U.S. foreign assistance policies there. A bibliographic essay and an index complete the volume.

Book Synopsis

This volume is the product of three coalitions of research interests focused on a single topic of inquiry: the processes of liberalization and democratization within authoritarian regimes in Latin America. The three branches of research may be characterized as, first, individuals researching the changing character of human rights violations, repression, and state terror in various Latin American nations; second, scholars of redemocratization (the process through which governments gradually revert to a more democratic regime); and third, experts in the comparative analysis of Latin American politics who believe that a cross-national perspective is necessary to complement current theoretical and case study work on liberalization and redemocratization. The opening chapter provides a theoretical basis for the discussion, and the closing essay analyzes the relationship between redemocratization in Latin America and U.S. foreign assistance policies there. A bibliographic essay and an index complete the volume.

About the Author

GEORGE A. LOPEZ is Associate Professor of Government and International Studies and Faculty Fellow at the Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

MICHAEL STOHL is Professor of Political Science at Purdue University.