Title: The State of Democracy in Latin America
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The State of Democracy in Latin America
Youth and Democracy
End of an era: opportunities and challenges
A new debate: the quality of democracy
My opinion
Daniel Zovatto
Former Brookings Expert
Director for Latin America and the Caribbean - International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance

Content: The Economist recently published the essay “What’s gone wrong with democracy?” in which it is pointed out that, although more people are currently living in countries where fair and free elections are regularly held, the global advancement of democracy may have reached its end and, in some countries, may even be going backwards. According to this prestigious English magazine democracy is going through a difficult time. Where autocrats have been driven out of power, the opponents have failed, in a majority of cases, to create viable democratic regimes. Even in the established democracies the failures in the system have become worryingly visible and disillusionment with politics has become more widespread. Moreover many nominal democracies have slid towards autocracies maintaining an external democratic appearance through elections which lack, however, the rights and institutions that support their democratic claim. Latin America today is radically different from what it was only three and a half decades ago. Despite all of its faults, democracy is the most common type of government practiced in the region, although it with a high degree of heterogeneity. Today we have more consolidated democracies, more and better social protection policies and stronger and more integrated economies. During the last decade, 60 million people escaped poverty, expanding the middle class by more than 50 percent.