First published 2006
Steven Levitsky explores how unofficial political practices operate across Latin America and their impact on democratic systems. The author examines specific cases including Mexico's dedazo system, Brazilian clientelism, Ecuador's legislative ghost coalitions, and Chilean elite power-sharing arrangements. Levitsky demonstrates how these informal rules interact with official institutions in four distinct ways. Some fill gaps where formal rules fall short or make them work better. Others soften the impact of broken official systems. Competing informal practices directly undermine formal rules, while substitutive ones replace formal institutions that have failed entirely. The analysis reveals how these unofficial mechanisms influence state performance and democratic functioning. Levitsky offers readers new perspectives on Latin American governance problems including weak rule of law, limited accountability, and inadequate political representation and participation.
Genres: political-science, politics, latin-american-literature, academic
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: academic, investigative-journalism
Setting: Latin America, Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
362 pages · Kindle Edition · Johns Hopkins University Press