Publisher's Synopsis
Since the first edition of this book was published in 1996, the democracies of Latin America and the Caribbean have undergone significant change. This one-volume edition offers a concise update to current scholarship in this important area of international studies.;The book is divided into two parts: themes and issues, and country studies. Countries not covered by individual studies are discussed in the introduction, conclusion and thematic chapters. In the introduction, Michael Shifter provides an overview of new developments in Latin America and the Caribbean, with particular emphasis on civil society and problems of governance. The conclusion, by Jorge I. Dominguez, ties together the themes of the various chapters and discusses the role of parties and electoral politics.
