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56982. Venezuela: The Life and Times of the Party System
- Author:
- Miriam Kornblith and Daniel H. Levine
- Publication Date:
- 06-1993
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Kellogg Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- Political parties have been at the center of modern Venezuelan democracy from the beginning. Strong, highly disciplined, and nationally organized parties have dominated political organization and action in the modern period. Parties have penetrated and controlled organized social life and effectively monopolized resources and channels of political action. Beginning in the 1980s, the political parties and the party system as a whole have experienced mounting criticism and challenge. In a time of growing economic, social, and political crisis, efforts have nonetheless been made to loosen national control and open new channels for citizen participation with the aim of 'democratizing Venezuelan democracy.' The ability of the parties to implement these reforms, and to reform themselves in the process, is central to the survival of effective democracy in Venezuela.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Governance, Economic Growth, and Political Parties
- Political Geography:
- South America and Venezuela
56983. Privatization: The Role of Domestic Business
- Author:
- Ernst Bartell
- Publication Date:
- 06-1993
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Kellogg Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- A close examination of the links between privatization programs and domestic business, both in theory and in practice, suggests that the relationships are not nearly so vigorous, uniform, or predictable as conventional promotional arguments imply. It will be argued here that the nature of the relationships between privatization programs and the behavior of domestic business depends upon the goals, methods, and financing of specific national privatization programs as well as on the economic and social characteristics of the private sector in a given country and its macro- and microeconomic policy regime. Privatization programs in themselves are likely to be a secondary and transitory influence on the aggregate behavior of national business with somewhat differing effects and responses within individual sectors of those economies with relatively diverse domestic business communities. As a result, privatization programs are likely to be less important to the incorporation of domestic business into a market-driven development process than other components of economic restructuring and liberalization. These conclusions will be examined briefly in light of the historical record of privatization in Chile, Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil and of interview data with business leaders in Brazil and Chile before and after the installation of their current democratic governments.
- Topic:
- Development, Privatization, Business, and Economic Growth
- Political Geography:
- Brazil, Argentina, South America, Central America, Caribbean, Mexico, and Chile
56984. From Democracy to Democracy: Continuities and Changes of Electoral Choices and the Party System in Chile
- Author:
- Timothy R. Scully and J. Samuel Valenzuela
- Publication Date:
- 07-1993
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Kellogg Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- After almost seventeen years of authoritarian rule with no regular national elections, Chileans have once again expressed themselves in the polls. The central question addressed in this paper is the extent to which there are continuities in the current elections with the past choices of the voters. This question is examined by comparing current vote totals by party and by tendency with those of the past, and by correlating the votes in the elections of 1969, 1970, and 1973 with the 1988 plebiscite and the 1989 presidential and parliamentary elections. The results show that there is a remarkable consistency of electoral choices in the country, which is still divided into left, center, and right tendencies. And yet there have been changes. New party labels have emerged, and the party system is currently much more centripetal than it was in the past, given a significant degree of consensus among the main political forces over the value of democracy as well as over fundamental socioeconomic policies. Whether these changes will prove to be long lasting in the face of renewed electoral competition over the next years is still an open question.
- Topic:
- Authoritarianism, Democracy, Voting Behavior, and Political Behavior
- Political Geography:
- South America and Chile
56985. Juan Linz, Presidentialism, and Democracy: A Critical Appraisal
- Author:
- Scott Mainwaring and Matthew Shugart
- Publication Date:
- 07-1993
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Kellogg Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- This paper briefly reviews and critically assesses Juan Linz's arguments about the perils of presidentialism. We largely agree with Linz that presidentialism as it is normally practiced is less likely than parliamentarism to sustain democratic government. Nevertheless, we introduce a number of caveats into the argument. Although we agree with most aspects of Linz's four major criticisms of presidentialism, we disagree with one of them: we argue that presidentialism is less oriented towards winner-takes-all results than Westminster parliamentary systems. We also claim that presidentialism has some advantages that partially offset its drawbacks. These advantages can be maximized by paying careful attention to differences among presidential systems; we build a case for presidencies with weak legislative powers. Presidentialism also appears to be more viable with parties that are at least moderately disciplined, and it is especially problematic with highly fragmented multiparty systems and with congressional elections that occur more frequently than presidential elections. Finally, we argue that switching from presidentialism to parliamentarism could exacerbate problems of governability in countries with very undisciplined parties. All of these points suggest that even if Linz is largely correct in his argument that parliamentary government is more conducive to stable democracy, a great deal rests on what kind of parliamentarism and what kind of presidentialism are implemented.
- Topic:
- Government, Governance, Democracy, and Presidential Elections
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Asia, and South America
56986. The Race for the Pax Germanica: Spain versus Central & Eastern Europe
- Author:
- Hans Slomp
- Publication Date:
- 01-1993
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- Most Central and Eastern European countries are experimenting with forms of tripartism, i.e., trade union/employer/government contacts at all-industry level. This form of bargaining and consultation is patterned after the tripartite councils in Northern Europe. Spain has also had a number of tripartite agreements in the early 1980s, and its transition toward democracy is sometimes compared to that in (Central and) Eastern Europe. In this paper, Spanish and Eastern European labor relations are compared on the basis of the basic features of Northern European labor relations, in which tripartism has a longer tradition: the nature of the labor movement, the pacification of the enterprise by a shift of conflict to the branch level, and the depoliticization of labor relations. Eastern Europe's trade union density and trade union structure seem to be better adapted to tripartism than the Spanish labor movement. The major hindrance to a system of branch bargaining is the absence of employers organizations. It could be overcome to some extent by regional collective bargaining, with the local government as an active participant.
- Topic:
- Industry, Trade Unions, Democratic Transitions, Labor Movement, and Tripartism
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Eastern Europe, Spain, and Central Europe
56987. Between State & Market: Changing Agriculture in Postcommunist Poland
- Author:
- Krysztof Gorlach
- Publication Date:
- 01-1993
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- The paper deals with the problems of changes in Polish agriculture under current conditions. These conditions include the legacy of the communist period (agrarian structure as well as patterns of activity among farmers), the new pro-market agricultural policy, and the need for privatization of former large state farms. However, the transformation of the largest part of Polish agriculture, that is, about two million relatively small family farms, seems to be the key problem now. The author tries to analyze some stimulants and barriers to the process of change, as well as some options for the future. These options include: the so-called "farmerization path," the "fossilization solution," and the "third way."
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Markets, Privatization, and Post-Communism
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Eastern Europe, and Poland
56988. The Year of the Woman? Candidates, Voters, and the 1992 Elections
- Author:
- Michael X. Delli Carpini and Ester Fuchs
- Publication Date:
- 03-1993
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Political Science Quarterly
- Institution:
- Academy of Political Science
- Abstract:
- MICHAEL X. DELLI CARPINI and ESTER FUCHS give a brief overview of why women had been excluded from voting and office holding. They then examine the recent successes by women in the political process, culminating in the election of forty-seven women in the U.S. House of Representatives and five new women senators.
- Topic:
- Elections, Women, Voting, and Political Participation
- Political Geography:
- North America and United States of America
56989. The "Market-Friendly Approach to Development" vs. an "Industrial Policy"
- Author:
- Ajit Singh
- Publication Date:
- 02-1993
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Institute for Development and Peace
- Abstract:
- As Mr. Barber Conable observes in his Foreword, the World Development Report 1991 "synthesises and interprets the lessons of forty years of development experience" (p. iii). In view of the World Bank's leading role in development financing for poor countries around the globe over much of this period, this is clearly an important document. The Report is necessarily being taken very seriously in policy making circles throughout the developing world. It is therefore essential that there should be a full analysis of its intellectual approach and the evidence underlying its conclusions.
- Topic:
- Development, Industrial Policy, Markets, and World Bank
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
56990. Report of the Commission on Radio and Television Policy: Volume 5, Number 1
- Publication Date:
- 11-1993
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Carter Center
- Abstract:
- Changing economic relations are among the most important issues in the future of telecommunications throughout the world. Everywhere, governments and private companies are attentive to profound changes introduced by the processes of privatization, democratization, and development and implementation of new technologies. The future is already upon us, with great speed and often unexpected consequences.
- Topic:
- Ethnic Conflict and International Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, Europe, and Asia