Reflections on Uneven Democracies

Reflections on Uneven Democracies is a highly effective testament to the remarkable intellectual career and influence of Guillermo O'Donnell, unquestionably the dominant figure in the study of Latin American politics since the early 1970s. What sets this book apart is its systematic effort to explore O'Donnell's impact on subsequent scholarship, assess the current state of the field, and break new conceptual, theoretical, and empirical ground in democracy studies. A must-read for all scholars engaged in the comparative study of democracy, this book will reshape the research frontier for many years to come. -- Kenneth M. Roberts, Cornell University, author of Deepening Democracy? The Modern Left and Social Movements in Chile and Peru This is a most fitting tribute to one of the towering figures in comparative politics of the past half century. The wide variety of topics addressed, the rigor of analysis, and the quality of the contributors reflect the breadth and depth of the scholarship of Guillermo O'Donnell and the impact of his teaching. -- Evelyne Huber, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, author of Democracy and the Left: Social Policy and Inequality in Latin America This volume is a must-read for all who are concerned with development and Latin American political economy. It brings together two generations of leading international scholars who probe themes such as regime dynamics and stability, party politics and institutions, and the quality of democratic governance. The pieces build to a contribution that is reminiscent of O'Donnell himself: brilliant, quirky, important. -- Susan C. Stokes, Yale University, author of Mandates and Democracy: Neoliberalism by Surprise in Latin America

Students of democracy and institutional performance, both Latin Americanists and comparativists more generally, will find this essential reading.The third wave of democratization produced a wealth of enduring social science. Beginning in the 1970s, it prompted scholars to develop important theories on authoritarian breakdowns and transitions to democracy. No one in the field was more influential than Guillermo O'Donnell (1936-2011), whose pathbreaking work shaped the scholarship of generations of social scientists. Reflections on Uneven Democracies honors the legacy of O'Donnell's research by advancing debates related to his work on democracy. Drawing together a veritable Who's Who of eminent scholars - including two of O'Donnell's closest collaborators, Philippe Schmitter and Laurence Whitehead - the volume examines issues related to democratic breakdowns and stability, the nature and quality of new democracies, institutional strength, the rule of law, and delegative democracy. This reexamination of some of the most influential arguments about democracy of the past forty years leads to original approaches and insights for a new era of democracy studies. Students of democracy and institutional performance, both Latin Americanists and comparativists more generally, will find this essential reading.