Mandates and democracy : neoliberalism by surprise in Latin America / Susan C. Stokes.

Author
Stokes, Susan Carol [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Description
xiii, 220 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.

Availability

Copies in the Library

Location Call Number Status Location Service Notes
Firestone Library - Stacks JL966 .S76 2001 Browse related items Request
    Forrestal Annex - ReserveJL966 .S76 2001 Browse related items Request

      Details

      Subject(s)
      Series
      Cambridge studies in comparative politics [More in this series]
      Summary note
      "Sometimes politicians run for office promising one set of policies and then, if they win, they switch to very different ones. Latin American presidents in recent years have frequently run promising to avoid pro-market reforms and harsh economic adjustment, then win and transform immediately into enthusiastic market reformers. Does it matter when politicians ignore the promises they made and the preferences of their constituents? If politicians want to be reelected or see their party reelected at the end of their term, why would they impose unpopular policies? Susan Stokes explores questions of mandates, promises, and democratic theory in light of the Latin American experience. She develops a model of policy switches and tests it with statistical and qualitative data from Latin American elections over the last two decades. She concludes that politicians may change course because they believe that unpopular policies are best for constituents and hence also will best serve their own political ambitions. Nevertheless, even though good representatives will sometimes switch policies, abrupt changes of course tend to erode the quality of democracy."--Jacket.
      Bibliographic references
      Includes bibliographical references (p. 197-210) and indexes.
      Contents
      • 1. Elections, Mandates, and Representation
      • 2. Elections and Economic Policy in Latin America
      • 3. Explaining Policy Switches
      • 4. Are Parties what's Wrong with Democracy in Latin America?
      • 5. Neoliberalism without Mandates: Citizens Respond
      • 6. Mandates and Democratic Theory
      • 7. Summary, Predictions, Unsettled Questions.
      Other title(s)
      Mandates and democracies
      ISBN
      • 0521801184 ((hbk.))
      • 9780521801188 ((hbk.))
      • 0521805112 ((pbk.))
      • 9780521805117 ((pbk.))
      LCCN
      00065153
      OCLC
      45439775
      International Article Number
      • 9780521805117
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