Enforcing the Rule of Law
Social Accountability in the New Latin American Democracies
Published on 7. April 2006
377 pages
978-0-8229-7288-4 (ISBN)
Description
Reports of scandal and corruption have led to the downfall of numerous political leaders in Latin America in recent years. What conditions have developed that allow for the exposure of wrongdoing and the accountability of leaders? Enforcing the Rule of Law examines how elected officials in Latin American democracies have come under scrutiny from new forms of political control, and how these social accountability mechanisms have been successful in counteracting corruption and the limitations of established institutions. This volume reveals how legal claims, media interventions, civic organizations, citizen committees, electoral observation panels, and other watchdog groups have become effective tools for monitoring political authorities. Their actions have been instrumental in exposing government crime, bringing new issues to the public agenda, and influencing or even reversing policy decisions. Enforcing the Rule of Law presents compelling accounts of the emergence of civic action movements and their increasing political influence in Latin America, and sheds new light on the state of democracy in the region.
More details
Other editions
Additional editions
Enrique Peruzzotti | Catalina Smulovitz
Enforcing the Rule of Law
Social Accountability in the New Latin American Democracies
Book
04/2006
University of Pittsburgh Press
€58.00
Article not available at the moment
Persons
Enrique Peruzzotti is professor in the Department of Political Science and International Studies at Torcuato Di Tella University in Buenos Aires. He is coeditor, with Catalina Smulovitz, of Controlando la Politica: Ciudadanos y Medios en las Nuevas Democracias Latino Americanas. He has published articles in numerous journals including Journal of Democracy, Journal of Latin American Studies, and Constellations.
Content
- Intro
- Contents
- List of Tables and Figures
- Acknowledgments
- List of Abbreviations
- Part One: Civil Society and the Control of Political Power
- 1. Social Accountability: An Introduction - Enrique Peruzzotti and Catalina Smulovitz
- 2. The Effectiveness of Law: Civil Society and the Public Prosecutionin Brazil - Rosangela Batista Calvancanti
- 3. Judicialization of Protest in Argentina: The Case of Corralito - Catalina Smulovitz
- 4. Multiple Activation as a Strategy of Citizen Accountability andthe Role of the Investigating Legislative Commissions - Ana Tereza Lemos-Nelson and Jorge Zaverucha
- 5. Critical Junctures of Social Accountability: Lessons from Latin America - Nuria Cunill Grau
- 6. Violent Police, Passive Citizens: The Failure of Social Accountability in Chile - Claudio A. Fuentes
- 7. Social Accountability in Mexico: The Civic Alliance Experience - Alberto J. Olvera Rivera
- 8. Mobilization and Accountability: A Study of Social Control inthe "Cabezas" Case in Argentina - Jacqueline Behrend
- Part Two: Watchdog Journalism and Social Accountability
- 9. Media Scandals and Social Accountability: Assessing the Roleof the Senate Scandal in Argentina - Enrique Peruzzotti
- 10. Reading Scandals: Scandals, Media, and Citizenship in Contemporary Argentina - Silvio R.Waisbord
- Part Three: Some Theoretical Issues
- 11. Accountability and Civil Society - Andrew Arato
- 12. Social Accountability in Latin America and Beyond - Adam Przeworski
- 13. Notes on Various Accountabilities and Their Interrelations - Guillermo O'Donnell
- 14. Concluding Remarks - Enrique Peruzzotti and Catalina Smulovitz
- List of Contributors
- Index
