Challenges to Democracy in the Andes: Strongmen, Broken Constitutions, and Regimes in Crisis

Although military coups are rare in the Andean countries, democracies remain prone to deep political crises caused by elected leaders (especially strongmen, or caudillos) who abuse their power—often with broad public approval. What explains this phenomenon? The authors of Challenges to Democracy in the Andes propose answers to this question. Offering an analytical framework that disaggregates the components of democratic regimes, along with case studies and comparisons from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, they describe and explain political changes within the gray zone between democracy and authoritarianism.