Democracy in Latin America: Regression or Resilience?

For a long time, Latin America seemed to be one of the success stories of the “third wave” of democratization. Following democratic transitions in the 1980s and early 1990s, most countries in the region appeared to be on the path to democratic consolidation in the 2000s and early 2010s. In recent years, however, Latin America’s democratic consolidation has begun to unravel amid major populist challenges from both the left and the right. Nowadays, the crisis of democracy has become a global phenomenon and has intersected with challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recession, climate change, and the increasingly assertive role of autocratic powers like China and Russia that are exerting further pressure on democratic regimes. Bringing together experts on Latin American democracy from different countries, this workshop will study the contemporary trend of democratic regression and autocratization, but also instances of resilience and possibilities to defend democracy in Latin America. 

This event is organized by IPSA Research Committee 34 Quality of Democracy and the Research Group on Quality of Democracy at the Institute of Advanced Studies of the University of São Paulo (IEA-USP). It will take place on 13 March, Institute of Advanced Studies of the University of São Paulo (IEA-USP), 14:00-17:00 (local time in São Paulo, GMT-3). The event language will be English. In-person event with the online transmission that can be accessed via the website of IEA-USP on the day of the event: http://www.iea.usp.br/aovivo 

Program

Opening

José Álvaro Moisés (Institute of Advanced Studies, University of São Paulo)

Presentations

Aaron Schneider (University of Denver, United States): Democracy, Dictatorship: Evolutionary Categories and Responses 
Discussant: Lourdes Sola (University of São Paulo)

Carlos Meléndez and Lisa Zanotti (Universidad Diego Portales, Chile): ‘Comunismo o Libertad(es)’ in the Iberosphere. Examining Far-Right Candidates’ Discourse
Discussant: Camila Rocha (Brazilian Center of Analysis and Planning/CEBRAP)

Thomas Legler (Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico): The autocrats’ manual and defending democracy in Latin America 
Discussant: Maria Hermínia Tavares de Almeida (University of São Paulo and Brazilian Center of Analysis and Planning/CEBRAP)

Chair: Brigitte Weiffen (The Open University, United Kingdom)