As teorias da democratização frente às democracias latino-americanas realmente existentes

Abstract

The serious political and social crises that many Latin American countries have experienced over the last years encourage a reconsideration of the theoretical and analytical models that have been applied to study the democratization processes in this region. This article suggests a critical reflection on this subject and discusses the need to overcome the elitist, institutionalist and government-centered conception of democracy that lies behind such models.