By Arjun Chowdhury and Cesi Cruz What links Latin American nations to failed states like Syria and the Democratic Republic of Congo? By most objective measures, not much. Syria is the epitome of chaos, suffering from a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced or exiled millions more. Ethnic, religious and political conflict similarly takes a huge human … [Read more...] about Latin America and the Risk of State Failure
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Mexico: Growth of a Multi-Party System
By Mauricio Báez and Katherine Poole For 71 years, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) held sway over virtually every aspect of Mexican life. It was, in the words of writer and Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa, "the perfect dictatorship.” But Mexico has undergone a dramatic evolution. Since 2000, the PRI has alternated in power with the right wing National Action … [Read more...] about Mexico: Growth of a Multi-Party System
A Unique Database Charts Latin America’s Deepening Democracy
This year's update to the Database of Political Institutions marks its 17th year of tracking institutional and electoral data for countries from around the world, and the second update at its new permanent home at the IDB. Researchers at the World Bank Development Research Group first compiled the database in 2000, coding institutional and electoral variables for 180 countries … [Read more...] about A Unique Database Charts Latin America’s Deepening Democracy
A Strong Party System and Peace in El Salvador
By Mark P. Jones In January 1992, bitter enemies on El Salvador's left and right met in a colonial era castle in Mexico City, shook hands and brought an end to a 12-year-long civil war that had claimed 75,000 lives and displaced one-fifth of El Salvador's population. Today, 25 years later, the right and left remain starkly divided in El Salvador, and the country is among the … [Read more...] about A Strong Party System and Peace in El Salvador
Soft Skills Are, in Fact, Hard Skills
By Pablo Bachelet* I have two sons. One majored in history. The other graduated with a degree in Spanish and French literature. Despite my urgings – or maybe because of them – neither opted to study something scientific or mathematical, the so-called STEM fields that underpin modern economies. Should I worry? Every parent wants their child to be happy doing what they like. … [Read more...] about Soft Skills Are, in Fact, Hard Skills