Latin American Politics
PS 2321 RM 4625 CRN 19616
University of Pittsburgh
Fall 2005
Scott Morgenstern
Wednesday 12:00-2:00
The overarching question in Latin American politics (as well as the rest of comparative politics) is
what forces (eg institutions, economics, social structure) affect the rise, fall, sustainability, and
quality of democracy. This question will motivate our course and we will consider both older
“great works” and newer studies that address different aspects of this issue. The goal is to give
graduate students an introduction to the main debates and help them identify issues for future
research. A second goal is to develop the “professionalization” of the students as political
scientists, and thus we will analyze and discuss the profession of political science as it relates to the
study of Latin America as well as the debates.
Student requirements:
A) Class room management
For each week several students will have specific jobs. First, two students will work together to
develop a presentation, which should last about 1.5 hours, on the assigned literature. These
presentations should focus on the questions asked, the methodology, questions unanswered, &
other literature. All other students should prepare at least 2 questions that they want addressed
during the discussion. These questions should be posted on the class webpage the night previous to
the class, so that the presenters and others can review them. One or two other students will be
responsible for a short presentation (about 20 minutes) on our “professionalization” theme. (Note
that each student will prepare two of each of these presentations during the semester. Suggested
themes are appended to the end of the syllabus.)
B) Literature reviews
Each student must complete two literature reviews (7-10 pages, double spaced) during the
semester. These reviews, which are based on the course reading plus associated literature, are due
one week after the week’s discussion in which the topic was discussed. At least one of the reviews
must be based on your classroom presentation. Similar to our classroom discussions, these reviews
should identify and discuss the main debates in the literature, but also add a critical element and
consider research frontiers in the area.
C) Final paper.
The final paper (12-15 pages) should begin with a more in-depth literature review based on one (or
more) of our weekly readings but develop that review into a research proposal. The review should
go significantly beyond our classroom readings in order to examine trends in the field, alternative
methodological approaches, and different hypotheses. The proposal should identify an interesting
research topic, explain why this is an important topic, place the topic into the literature, discuss
potential hypotheses and counters, and develop a plan for study.
Books
Baldez: 2002 Why Women Protest. Cambridge.
Geddes Paradigms and Sandcastles. U of Michigan Press: Paper 0-472-06835-0
Hagopian and Mainwaring, eds. Third Wave of Democratization in Latin America. Cambridge: -10:
0521613205 | ISBN-13: 9780521613200
Linz: Failure of Presidential Democracy. Johns Hopkins 0-8018-4640-4
O’Donnell Transitions from Authoritarian Rule: Tentative Conclusions about Uncertain
Democracies. Johns Hopkins 0-8018-2682-9
Przeworski et al Democracy and Development. Cambridge: 0521793793
Schoultz Beneath the United States. Harvard University Press
Shugart and Carey Presidents and Assemblies. Cambridge: 0521429900
Recommended
Stepan Military Politics
Huntington, The 3rd wave: Democratization in the Late 20th Century
Przeworski Democracy and the Market
Rueschmeyer, Stephens and Stephens Capitalist Development and Democracy
University of Chicago Press, 1992. 0-226-73144-8
Section I: Background
1) Wed: Aug 31 Introduction: Political Science and Latin American Studies
Required:
a. Geddes Paradigms and Sandcastles
b. Muller and Seligson, APSR 1994 “Civic Culture and Democracy: the Question of
Causal Relationships” APSR 1994
Suggested
c. Geddes “Uses and Limitations of Rational Choice” in Smith, ed. Latin America in
Comparative Perspective: New Approaches to Methods and Analysis Westview: 1995
d. Lichbach and Zuckerman Comparative Politics
e. Wiarda The Soul of Latin America: The Cultural and Political Tradition Yale
University Press 2001
2) Sept 7 Waves of democracy
Required
a. Hartlyn and Valenzuela “Democracy in Latin America Since 1930” in Bethell, Latin
America: Politics and Society since 1930. esp pp.99-108,158-162
b. Hagopian and Mainwaring, eds. Third Wave of Democratization in Latin America
Recommended:
c. Huntington 1991: The Third Wave: Democratization in the Late Twentieth Century
d. Huntington 1968: Political Order in Changing Societies
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3) Sept 14: Theories of democratization & development (Modernization, Civic Culture, &
Dependency)
Required
a. Peter Klarén, “Lost Promise: Explaining Latin American Underdevelopment” in Klaren
and Bossert eds. Promise of Development: Theories of Change in Latin America (also
reprinted in Camp, Democracy in Latin America, 1996)
b. Olson, Mancur. 1993. “Dictatorship, Democracy, and Development” APSR, 87(3): 56775.
c. Collier, David "An Overview of the Bureaucratic-Authoritarian Model” ch.1 (p.19-33)
in Collier, David ed. The New Authoritarianism in Latin America
d. UNDP Development Report Democracy in Latin America pp. 21-70 &/or Chs by
Stiglitz and Iglesias (in Spanish) La Democracia en América Latina, Contribuciones
para el Debate http://democracia.undp.org/Default.Asp
Recommended
e. Almond and Verba Civic Culture & Civic Culture Revisited
f. Lipset, 1959. “Some Social Science Requisites of Democracy: Economic Development
and Political Legitimacy” APSR 69-105.
g. Prebisch, Raúl. 1950. The Economic Development of Latin America and Its Principal
Problems. NY United Nations
h. Galeano Open Veins of Latin America
i. Valenzuela and Valenzuela “Modernization and Dependency: Alternative Perspectives
in the Study of Latin American Underdevelopment.” Comparative Politics Vol.10,
no.4 (July 1978)
j. Gunder Frank, Andres “The Development of Underdevelopment” ch.6 (pp. 111-124) in
Klaren and Bossert eds. Promise of Development: Theories of Change in Latin America
4) Sept 21: Democracy, Authoritarianism, and Economic Development
a. Przeworski et al Democracy and Development
b. Munck, Gerardo L. 2001. The Regime Question: Theory Building in Democracy
Studies. World Politics 54 (1):119-44.
Recommended
c. Karen L. Remmer. "Democracy and Economic Crisis: The Latin American Experience."
World Politics 42(3):315-335, April 1990.
d. Weyland The Politics of Market Reform
e. Stepan Rethinking Military Politics (esp. Ch 8)
f. Keech: “Democracy, Dictatorship and Economic Performance in Chile,” Public Choice
Meeting 1994
g. Przeworski; Sustainable Democracy
h. Ruhl: “Honduras Militarism and Democratization in Troubled Waters”
i. Zaverucha “The Degree of Military Political Autonomy during the Spanish, Argentine,
and Brazilian Transitions”
j. Manzetti: Privatization, Latin American Style
k. Hunter: “Politicians against Soldiers: Contesting the Military in Post-authoritarian
Brazil” Comparative Politics 27, no. 4 (July 1995): 425-443.
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l. Keech, W.R. 1995. Economic Politics: The Costs of Democracy. New York: Cambridge
University Press.
m. Pion-Berlin and Arceneux “Tipping the Civil-Military Balance: Institutions and Human
Rights Policy in Democratic Argentina and Chile”
n. Collier and Collier: Shaping the Political Arena: Critical Junctures, the Labor
Movement, and Regime Dynamics in Latin America
o. O’Donnell: Modernization & BA
p. Rueschmeyer, Stephens and Stephens Capitalist Development and Democracy
q. Oxhorn and Ducantezeiler: “Economic Reform and Democratization in Latin America”
1998 in Oxhorn and Ducantezeiler eds, What kind of Democracy? What kind of Market?
r. Stokes; Mandates and. Democracy: Neoliberalism by Surprise in Latin America Ch .1
s. Geddes 1995 “The Politics of Economic Liberalization” LARR
t. Loveman, The Constitution of Tyranny (3-67; 263-312)
u. Fishlow, “Latin American Failure Against the Backdrop of Asian Success” in the The
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (1989?)
v. Waisman: Reversal of development in Argentina
w. Geddes 1995. “Challenging the Conventional Wisdom” in Diamond and Plattner,
Economic Reform and Democracy Johns Hopkins University Press,
x. Rodrik: “Understanding Economic Policy Reform
y. Dornbusch: “The Case for Trade Liberalization in Developing Countries”
5) Sept 28: Fall & Failure of democracy: Institutions or Society?
a. Linz Breakdown of Democratic Regimes Chs
b. Linz Failure of Presidential Democracy Ch. 1
c. Shugart and Carey Presidents and Assemblies
Recommended
d. Stepan and Skach, 1993. Constitutional Frameworks and Democratic consolidation:
Parliamentarism vs Presidentialism. World Politics
e. Mainwaring and Shugart 1997. “Juan Linz, Presidentialism, and Democracy”
Comparative Politics
6) Oct 5: Democratic transitions
*Note USAID project on role of legislature in building democracy in post-conflict era
a. O’Donnell Transitions from Authoritarian Rule: Tentative Conclusions about Uncertain
Democracies
b. Przeworski “Games of Transition” in Mainwaring, O'donnell and Valenzuela, Issues in
Democratic consolidation
c. Remmer: New Theoretical Perspectives on Democratization” Comparative Politics
28(1) 1995 103-119
d. Valenzeula “Chile” in Wiarda and Klein, Latin America Politics and Development (esp
section on structural, choice, and cultural explanations)
e. Review Hagopian and Mainwaring from Week 2
Recommended
f. Ensalaco Chile Under Pinochet: Recovering the Truth
g. Munck. 1994. “Review: Democratic Transitions in Comparative Perspective”
Comparative Politics pp. 355-375
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h. Peceny: Democracy at the Point of Bayonets
7) Oct 12: Democratic consolidation?
a. O’Donnell, G. (1994) ‘Delegative Democracy’, Journal of Democracy (5) 55-69.
b. Aguero: “Conflicting Assessments of Democratization: Assessing the Fault Lines” in
Aguero and Stark: Fault Lines of Democracy in Post-Transition Latin America
c. Mainwaring, O'donnell and Valenzuela, Issues in Democratic Consolidation Chs
d. Linz and Stepan Problems of democratic transition and consolidation : southern
Europe, South America, and post-communist Europe Chs
Recommended
e. Diamond: Consolidating the Third Wave Democracies
f. Przeworski Sustainable Democracy
g. Schmitter and Karl “What Democracy Is...And Is Not.” Journal of Democracy Vol. 2
No. 3 Summer 1991 pp.75-87
h. Frances Hagopian, “After Regime Change: Authoritarian Legacies, Political
Representation, and the Democratic Future of South America, World Politics Volume
45, April 1993.
i. Mainwaring, 1999 “The Surprising Resilience of Elected Governments,” J of
Democracy
Section II: Current Democracy (with adjectives) in Latin America
8) Oct 19: Public Support, Legitimacy, Accountability, and Corruption
a. Seligson: “The Impact of Corruption on Regime Legitimacy” JOP 2002
b. Hiskey and Seligson, “Pitfalls of Power to the People: Decentralization, Local
Government Performance, and System Support in Bolivia” SCID 2003
i. http://www.lasociedadcivil.org/uploads/ciberteca/pitfalls_of_power_to_the_peo
ple_jonathan_t_hiskey_bol.pdf
c. Morgenstern and Manzetti Legislative Oversight: Interests and Institutions in the
United States and Argentina, in Mainwaring and O’Donnell, Institutions,
Accountability, and Democratic Governance in Latin America. 2003.
d. Seligson and Carrion 2002. “Political Support, Political Skepticism and Political
Stability in New Democracies: An Empirical Examination of Mass Support for coups
d’Etat in Peru,” CPS, (35)1: pp. 58-82.
Recommended
e. UNDP Development Report Democracy in Latin America
f. Payne et al. Ch 2 “Gauging Public Support for Democracy”
g. Colburn, Latin American at the End of Politics Ch 5: “Fragile Democracies”
9) Oct 26: Presidentialism in Latin America
a. Presidentialism Theory
i. Carey and Shugart: Presidential Decree Authority Ch 1
ii. Mainwaring and Shugart Presidentialism in Latin America Ch 1
iii. Morgenstern “Towards a Model of Latin American Legislatures” in
Morgenstern and Nacif Legislative Politics in Latin America
iv. Mainwaring and Welna: Horizontal Accountability Ch 1
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Recommended
b. Populism
i. McCoy “Demystifying Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez”
ii. Palmer: “Democracy and its Discontents in Fujimori’s Peru”
10) Nov 2: Electoral Systems, Political Parties, & Legislative Politics: General Themes
*Note: ARP project
a. Ames The Deadlock of Democracy in Brazil Ch. 1
b. Mainwaring Rethinking Party Systems in Third Wave Democracies Ch. 2
c. Morgenstern Patterns of Legislative Politics Ch. 1
d. Carey and Shugart “Incentives to Cultivate a Personal Vote” CPS 1995
Recommended
e. Mainwaring and Scully Building Democratic Institutions (esp Ch. 1)
f. Cox Making Votes Count
g. Shugart and Wattenberg, eds. Mixed Member Electoral Systems
11) Nov 9: Political Parties, & Legislative Politics II: Changing Roles, Positions, and
Strategies
a. Morgenstern and Swindle “Are Politics Local? An Analysis of Voting Patterns in 23
Democracies” 2005. Comparative Political Studies 38.2: 143-170.
b. Ames, “The Reverse Coattails Effect: Local Party Organization in the 1989 Brazilian
Presidential Election” APSR March 1994
c. Morgenstern, Patterns of Legislative Politics Ch 6
d. Hawkins 2006. “Dependent Civil Society: The Circulos Bolivianos in Venezuela”
LARR
Recommended
e. Ames “Electoral Strategy under Open-List Proportional Representation” AJPS 1995
f. Crisp, Brian F., and Felipe Botero. 2004. "Multi-Country Studies of Latin American
Legislatures." Legislative Studies Quarterly 29(3): 329-356.
g. Morgenstern “US Models and Latin American Legislatures”
h. Lyne
i. Samuels
j. Munck “Democratic Politics in Latin America: New Debates and Research Frontiers,
Annual Review of Political Science
k. Coppedge Strong Parties and Lame Ducks
l. Coppedge 1998 “Dynamic Diversity of Latin American Party Systems” Party Politics
m. Mainwaring, “Party Discipline in the Brazilian Constitutional Congress” LSQ. 1997
n. Hawkins and Morgenstern “Ideological Cohesion of Political Parties in Latin America”
12) Nov 16: Executive-Legislative Relations
a. O’Donnell 1998. “Horizontal Accountability in New Democracies” J. of Democracy
b. Cox and Morgenstern “Latin America's Reactive Assemblies and Proactive
Presidents,” 2001. Comparative Politics 33,2: 171-90.
c. Mayorga “Bolivia's Silent Revolution” Journal of Democracy 1997
i. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_democracy/v008/8.1mayorga.html
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d. Amorim Neto, 2002. “Presidential Cabinets, Electoral Cycles, and Coalition Discipline
in Brazil," in Morgenstern and Nacif, eds., Legislative Politics in Latin America
Recommended
e. Mainwaring and Welna, eds. Democratic Accountability in Latin America
f. Foweraker, 1998 “Institutional Design, Party Systems, and Governability:
Differentiating the Presidential Regimes in Latin America” BJPS
g. Altman 2000. “The Politics of Coalition Formation and Survival in Multi-party
Presidential Democracies.” Party Politics
h. Zelaznik Coalitions in Latin America Penn State Press (forthcoming)
i. Mainwaring 1993 “Presidentialism and Multipartism: The Difficult Combination” CPS
j. Morgenstern & Nacif Legislative Politics in Latin America (Section II)
13) Nov 30: The Judiciary and Changing State-Society Relations
a. Helmke APSR 2002. “The Logic of Strategic Defection”
b. Murillo: 2000. “From Populism to Neoliberalism: Labor Unions and Market Reforms in
Latin America” World Politics
c. Yashar: 1998. “Contesting Citizenship: Indigenous Movements and Democracy in Latin
America” CP
Recommended
d. Levitsky & Helmke; Informal Institution and Democracy in the Developing World,
forthcoming
14) Dec 7: The Politics of Gender
a. Baldez: 2002 Why Women Protest
b. Baldez; “Elected Bodies II: The Impact of Gender Quotas in Mexico” in Siavelis and
Morgenstern, Pathways to Power: Political Recruitment and Democracy in Latin
America
c. Escobar-Lemmon & Taylor-Robinson “Women Ministers in Latin American
Government: When, Where, and Why?” in Siavelis and Morgenstern, Pathways to
Power
Recommended
i. Htun Sex and the State
ii. Leslie Schwindt-Bayer, “Gender Differences in the Issue Attitudes and Bill
Initiation Behavior of Latin American Legislatures” (AJPS?)
15) Dec. 14: US-LA Relations
a. Schoultz Beneath the United States
Recommended
b. Smith Talons of the Eagle
c. Galeano Open Veins of Latin America
d. Crandall, Russell. Driven By Drugs
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Possible Professionalization Topics:
Review of LA articles in different journals
1) Journal & university rankings
a) Hix Report:
i) http://personal.lse.ac.uk/hix/Working_Papers/Hix-PolStudiesReview-2004.pdf
ii) http://personal.lse.ac.uk/hix/Working_Papers/Top400-1993-02.xls
b) http://in-cites.com/research/2004/august_30_2004-2.html
c) Ranking of Political Science Journals by Evaluation of Journal ...
2) Top general journals (APSR JOP AJPS)
a) Article topics
b) Article methods
c) Broad comparative or 1 country cases?
i) See Hull in PS 1999 “Comparative Political Science: An inventory and Assessment
since the 1980s” (looks at how many case studies done as % of articles)
d) Dependent variables (themes of study)
3) Comparing among journals
a) Methods used
b) Themes
c) Comparative vs case studies
d) Theoretical vs empirical
e) Dependent variables (themes of study)
f) Independent variables
4) Comparative Journals
a) CP
b) CPS
c) Party Politics
d) Electoral Studies
e) SCID
5) Latin American journals (political science vs other disciplines)
a) JLAS
b) LARR
c) LAPS
6) Book publishing
a) Rankings?
b) Series?
c) Broad comparative or 1 country cases?
7) APSA-CP Newsletter http://www.nd.edu/~apsacp/
8) CP Perspectives
9) Careers
a) Jobs open in last year—and who got them? (perhaps find junior LA people at range of
universities & look at publication record and dates of Ph.D)
i) What publications did they have?
ii) What types of dissertations did they work on?
iii) Methods?
iv) Gender?
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b) Latin Americans in the US
c) Career trajectories of scholars at different institutions
i) Where move
ii) Types of methods used currently and in past
iii) Co-authorship
d) Salaries? (Public schools public)
10) Social Science Citation Index
a) Compare a few authors
b) What types of articles are cited most?
11) Divisions in the field: perestroika movement
a) Book: Perestoika: The Raucous Rebellion in Political Science
i) http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=0300099819
ii) listserv – perestroika
iii) http://www.h-net.org/~pubadmin/newsletters/f04.htm
iv) http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~todd/rebutting%20perestroika.pdf
v) http://www.btinternet.com/~pae_news/Perestroika/Miller.htm
vi) Sanford Schram, Political Theory Dec. 2003
(1) http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/GSSW/schram/schrampoliticaltheoryreviewessay.
pdf
12) Perestroika in Political Science and Latin American politics
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