Dilemas e desafios da democracia na América Latina. Deterioração ou renovação?

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the political regime and society in some South American countries have experienced significant changes and conflicts that call into question what is meant by democracy. Refoundational movements and governments explicitly emerged as a consequence of the crisis of representation and the breakdown of traditional institutions, bringing the promise of a fairer society. Those governments improved the situation of those living in social conditions of deprivation and postulated rights, so we can recognize a first dimension of “liberation” from obstacles and barriers. However, the concentration of power in a (semi)embodied leadership and a scarcely deliberative public life eroded the scope of its original principles