The challenges of democracy in latin america and how to overcome them.

Abstract

One of the paradoxes of contemporary societies in Latin America is the asymmetry between increasing economic development and modernization on the one hand and, stagnation and decline in the quality of democracy operationalized in substantive terms, that is considering the material conditions of citizens. Understanding the reasons for this dilemma the purpose of this article is. The fundamental principle is that the analysis of democracy in our continent is necessary to go beyond minimalist conceptualization, incorporating the social dimension. In this reflection are some other ways to to be thought of the building of a democratic and political culture protagonist. Three concepts are discussed and elaborated on indexes that allow thinking about the possibilities of raising mechanisms to stimulate and encourage citizens to participate more actively in the political arena. These provisions are: potential for sustainable development, potential social capital and empowerment potential. Through a qualitative and quantitative research in three Latin American cities Montevideo, Uruguay; Porto Alegre, Brazil and Santiago, Chile, where five hundred people were interviewed, seeking to evaluate the predispositions of citizens in relation to the three proposed rates. The data were broadly promising, to the extent that indicate the existence of latent predispositions of respondents to be wrapped in political affairs, both from conventional nature as community.