90 research outputs found
Making constitutions: presidents, parties, and institutional choice in Latin America
No full textThis book provides the first systematic explanation of the origins of constitutional designs from an analytical, historical, and comparative perspective. Based on a comprehensive analysis of constitutional change in Latin America from 1900 to 2008 and four detailed case studies, Gabriel Negretto shows that the main determinants of constitutional choice are the past performance of constitutions in providing effective and legitimate instruments of government and the strategic interests of the actors who have influence over institutional selection. The book explains how governance problems shape the general guidelines for reform, while strategic calculations and power resources affect the selection of specific alternatives of design. It also emphasizes the importance of the events that trigger reform and the designers¿ level of electoral uncertainty for understanding the relative impact of short-term partisan interests on constitution writing. Negretto¿s study challenges predominant theories of institutional choice, and paves the way for the development of a new research agenda on institutional change
The party system effects of unstable electoral rules in Latin America
No full textPrior studies have shown that electoral rules fail to determine the number of parties in new democracies due to the uncertainty of voters and politicians about which parties are viable. Latin American democracies, where electoral volatility has generally remained high and party institutionalization low, have been a primary example of this phenomenon. We argue that even in shifting political environments the fragmentation of the party system is likely to become consistent with the permissiveness of electoral rules and the level of social diversity as voters and party leaders accumulate experience with elections and the rate of electoral regime change declines. We find support for these propositions analyzing an original dataset on Latin American democratic elections. This article contributes to research on electoral systems and political parties by identifying the conditions under which equilibrium electoral outcomes can be expected after a transition to democracy in unstable institutional settings.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the followingfinancial supportfor the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Thiswork has been possible thanks to ANID-Millennium ScienceInitiative Program [MEPOP, NCS2021_063]
John M. Carey y Matthew S. Shugart (eds.), executive decree authority, Cambridge university press, 1998
No full textTinkering with executive term limits: partisan imbalances and institutional legacies in Latin America
No full textWhy are some democratically elected presidents more likely than others to extend or remove their current term limits? This paper argues that the frequency and type of reforms relaxing executive term limits depend on the relative partisan power of presidents and on inherited institutional constraints. These reforms are more likely when short-term shifts in the distribution of partisan resources significantly favour an incumbent executive vis-à-vis the opposition. Yet partisan imbalances do not fully account for the observed variation in outcomes across presidential democracies. Long-standing institutional legacies also affect whether presidents are willing and able to ease existing term limits. Specifically, the maintenance of effective executive constraints over time reduces the probability that incumbents facing restrictions on consecutive re-election will obtain a one-term extension and makes it extremely unlikely that they will abolish term limits altogether. A statistical analysis of reforms allowing consecutive executive re-election in Latin America between 1978 and 2015 and a comparison between Ecuador and Colombia support these arguments.The author acknowledges that the Chilean Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (ANID)
funded the research for this article through the grant FONDECYT Regular No. 120006
¿Qué es el decisionismo?: Reflexiones en torno a la doctrina política de Carl Schmitt
No full textThis essay is a critique of the so called “decisionist” theory by Carl Schmitt, first expounded on his main political works during the Weimar period. The author explains that Schmitt's idea of “decisionism” is not, as it has often been pondered a simple variant of ethical voluntarism associated with both existentialist and positivist moral philosophies. “Decisionism” is a particular political doctrine based on the claim that the state is the absolute source of legal and moral decisions in political life. From this perspective, the author demonstrates that Schmitt’s “decisionism" is a purely negative doctrine, based on the symmetrical negation of all the political values of liberalism.Este ensayo presenta una revisión crítica de la llamada teoría “decisionista” de Carl Schmitt tal como fuera expuesta en sus principales trabajos políticos durante el periodo de Weimar. El autor argumenta que el decisionismo de Schmitt no es, como frecuentemente se ha afirmado, una simple variante del voluntarismo ético asociado a filosofías morales existencialistas y positivistas. Decisionismo es en cambio una particular doctrina política que sostiene que el Estado es la fuente absoluta de toda decisión legal y moral en la vida política. Desde esta perspectiva, el autor demuestra que el decisionismo de Schmitt es una doctrina puramente negativa, fundada en la negación simétrica de todos y cada uno de los valores políticos del liberalismo
Tuercas y tornillos en la fábrica de constituciones: un debate en torno a Making constitutions presidents, parties, and institutional choice in Latin America de Gabriel Negretto
No full textConstituciones, República Dominicana, VenezuelaSi contamos el número total de constituciones vigentes en cada país a partir de su independencia y hasta el año 2008 encontramos un dato fascinante: América Latina ha producido aproximadamente 50 por ciento del total de las constituciones del mundo (Cordeiro, 2008). Dentro de nuestra región, por supuesto, hay variaciones en productividad constitucional: República Dominicana y Venezuela encabezan la lista con 32 y 26 constituciones, respectivamente, mientras que Panamá y Cuba suman solamente cuatro y cinco, respectivamente
Deepening democracy? promises and challenges of Chiles road to a new constitution
No full textAs a response to mass mobilizations against the political and social status quo, a multiparty agreement activated a process to replace the constitution in Chile, three decades after the country¿s transition to democracy. I argue that this process has three features that are not only desirable on normative grounds but also shared by successful episodes of constitutional replacement in democratic regimes: the drafting of the new text in an assembly bound by preexisting rules, inclusive mechanisms of representation and decision making, and direct citizen involvement. These features, in interaction with the popular repudiation of the elite-biased institutions inherited from the Pinochet era, might lead to a new constitutional arrangement that deepens democratization by expanding citizen rights, strengthening executive constraints, and removing restrictions on majority rule. Yet the realization of the full democratic potential of this constitutional change depends on the still uncertain ability of constitution makers to compromise on a text that is not only seen as legitimate among ordinary citizens but also promotes coherent goals, effective institutions, and good governance.The Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (Chile) funded the research for this article through the grant FONDECYT Regular No. 1200060
Gait Variability and Kinematic Alterations in People with Diabetes Mellitus and Peripheral Neuropathy
No full textBackground: People with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy have been reported to show alterations in lower limb joint function compared to healthy non-diabetic people. Specifically the maximum angular movement available at certain joints can be reduced during static, non-weight bearing tasks. Limited joint range of motion has the potential to compromise balance and stability thereby increasing the risk of falling. It is unclear whether a reduction in the extent of movement available at the joints is reflected by a reduction in the amount of angular movement actually utilised during a functional task such as stair negotiation. The aim of this study was to determine if people with diabetes show reduced dynamic range of motion at the ankle, knee and hip joints during stair ascent and descent in comparison to controls. Falls risk during stair negotiation was calculated by measuring the degree of variability in dynamic joint range of motion. Methods: Data were generated from three groups: subjects with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy (DPN), diabetes without peripheral neuropathy (DM), and healthy controls (Ctl). The study was conducted in a gait laboratory using motion capture and related 3D software for analysis. Joint range of motion for the ankle, knee, and hip were captured during level walking, stair ascent, and descent. A seven step, bespoke staircase was fabricated for this purpose. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Newman-Keuls tests were used to analyse the data. Results: Significantly reduced ankle range of motion, in the sagittal plane, was observed in the DPN group during stair ascent when compared to the controls. For stair descent, the DPN group demonstrated a significant increase in knee and hip ROM in the frontal plane, and also hip ROM in the transverse plane. No significant differences between the groups were identified for joint variability. Conclusions: People with DPN demonstrate alterations in dynamic range of motion at the lower limb joints during stair ascent and descent. The degree of angular movement utilised for both stair tasks was decreased at the ankle joint and this has the potential to undermine balance and stability. In contrast, angular movement at the knee and hip joints was increased in the frontal and transverse planes. This may compensate for impaired balance and stability by increasing the base of support to maintain balance and assist in foot clearance and placement. The specific combination of increased angular movement at the knee and hip may represent a compensatory stair gait strategy in response to reduced angular movement at the ankle joint
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