Encarnación The Myth of Civil Society

Social Capital and Democratic Consolidation in Spain and Brazil
2003
ISBN: 978-1-4039-8164-6
Verlag: Palgrave Macmillan US
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 233 Seiten, eBook

Almost irrespective of the geographic setting, the debate about the future of democracy in post-authoritarian societies is increasingly tied to the strength of civil society. A strong civil society is thought to be crucial to the emergence of successful democracies while a weak civil society is deemed the cause of flawed or frozen democracies. Using contrasting evidence from Spain and Brazil, this study challenges these widespread assumptions about contemporary democratization. It argues that it is the performance of political institutions rather than the configuration of civil society that determines the consolidation of democratic regimes.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Encarnación, O.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

PART I: THE INTELLECTUAL TERRAIN Introduction The Revival of Civil Society PART II: SPAIN:m WEAK CIVIL SOCIETY, STRONG DEMOCRACY Spanish Civil Society in Transition Politics Political Institutions and Democratization in Spain PART III: BRAZIL: STRONG CIVIL SOCIETY, WEAK DEMOCRACY Brazilian Civil Society in Transition Politics Political Institutions and Democratization in Brazil PART IV: COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES Civil Society Re-considered

Über Autor(innen)

OMAR G. ENCARNACIÓN is Associate Professor of Political Studies at Bard College, USA.