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In the 1980s and 1990s, Peru and Venezuela underwent some of the most dramatic changes in political parties that have occurred anywhere in 20th century Latin America, involving the collapse of what had previously been institutionalized party systems. Other countries, such as Argentina, faced similar pressures but experienced less party system change. Why did voters in some countries support insurgent candidates, while voters in other countries remained committed to traditional parties? What kinds of voters first began to support insurgent candidates in countries where the party system did collapse? This paper argues that divergences in policy positions between voters’ preferences and the substantive appeals of traditional parties can best account for these behavioral changes. In testing this claim, I adopt a focus on the ‘demand side’ of party system change, exploring the motivations behind voters’ decisions to change their electoral behavior. Alternative explanations, such as economic voting and corruption perceptions, do not adequately fit the evidence. The explanation based on ideological positioning and policy divergence, by contrast, is consistent with the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the broader theoretical claim that civil society can be thickened (in democratic ways) with international support and collaboration. Case studies of domestic election monitoring organizations in Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru suggest that internationally supported civic organizations can play an important role in mobilizing political participation. There is less evidence to show that they can consistently fulfill other democratizing functions, such as modeling democratic practices and improving communication between government and citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I test the claims that government decentralization can strengthen democracy by considering one form of decentralization: the decentralization of health service administration to community boards. Based on comparison of four poor communities in Peru, two of which experienced community-based decentralization of health service administration, and two similar communities that did not, I evaluate whether or not community-based decentralization initiatives do indeed promote or strengthen social capital and local democratic practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which examined the squatter settlement development in Peru and Ecuador through data drawn from neighborhood-level case studies of invasion organizations founded in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Phenomenon of land invasions in Latin American cities; Theoretical framework and conceptual foundations of invasion organizations and social movements; Logic of city and service demand selection; Overview of invasion organization case studies; Theoretical implications of the study's analysis of organizational strategy.