International IDEA's Work
Regions: Latin America

20th Anniversary of the Transition to Democracy

Regional Component:

International IDEA is currently undertaking a regional research project with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to assess Latin America's overall evolution in political, electoral, social and economic terms 20 years after the beginning of democratization in the region. The outcome of this joint endeavour will be a comprehensive report, that is intended for use as a regional reference, identifying specific areas for future action. The report will also be a useful tool for defining priorities for agencies interested in furthering democracy in Latin America.

A Country by Country Study:

International IDEA plans to undertake a country-by-country analysis of the last 20 years of democratization in Latin America. The general purpose is to assess the current state of democracy in each country of the region, with a view to identifying windows of opportunity for advancement of democracy and offering recommendations on the critical challenges for democratic consolidation. The individual national studies will be complemented by: three sub-regional studies (Central America; Andean Region and Southern Cone -MERCOSUR area); and analyses of 10 crosscutting issues such as; human rights, women's political participation, regional agendas and institutions for the advancement of democracy, corruption and democracy, the relationship between Latin America and the U.S.A and Europe, public security and violence amongst others.

The study will also serve as a retrospective, situational and prospective analysis of political democracy in the region, using a comparative framework.

Daniel Zovatto, Senior Executive
E-mail: zovatto_idea@hotmail.com

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