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The sources of democratic consolidation and deepening in Latin America have been under debate since the region's return to democracy in the 1970s and 1980s . We still, however, do not understand why those democratic values that provide the foundation for an enduring and deep democracy take hold in some contexts and not in others. This paper seeks to offer insight into the potential and limits of civil society as a vehicle for deepening democratic values in newer democracies. I analyze a large cross-national survey of Latin American citizens in 18 countries to examine the question: Is civil society in Latin America nurturing democratic values or breeding authoritarian sentiments? A multidimensional analysis of civil society brings nuance to our understanding of the relationship between civil society and democratic values. Ultimately, my analysis suggests a need to identify how transnational connections and domestic contextual factors affect the degree to which civil society cultivates or undermines support for the democratic process . ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to offer insight into the potential and limits of civil society as a vehicle for deepening democratic values in newer democracies. I analyze a large cross-national survey of Latin American citizens in 18 countries to examine the question: Is civil society in Latin America nurturing democratic values or breeding authoritarian sentiments? A multidimensional analysis of civil society brings nuance to our understanding of the relationship between civil society and democratic values. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From Aristotle to Gurr, political protest was viewed as the tool of the politically frustrated who lacked access to the political process. However, research in advanced industrial societies demonstrates that protest is now commonly used by those who possess the skills and resources to also participate in conventional political channels. In the less developed world, however, protest may still be important as a tool for the politically powerless, who lack resources and access to democratic political channels. Our research examines the use and sources of protest by citizens across the globe. We analyze the interaction of individual characteristics and national context to examine the roots of protest on a near global scale. With data from the new 1999-2002 wave of the World Values Survey, we test past theories of the factors related to protest, ranging from social capital to deprivation to resource theories. More important, the WVS enables us to test these theories on a broadly cross-national scale with data from nearly 70 national surveys, comparing how the nature of protest potentially varies as a function of political development, democratization, and integration into the global system. This research demonstrates that contextual factors significantly shape protest patterns. In particular, we find that traditional predictors of protest activity -such as individual resources and political orientation -- are much more strongly associated with protest in affluent rich countries than in less developed countries. Our empirical analysis highlights a need for further theory building that would enable a better understanding of the correlates of protest in the developing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the level of political protest in contemporary societies, and then explains cross-national differences in the use of protest. We first use data from the 1999-2002 and 1995-98 waves of the World Values Survey to describe the cross-national levels of protest to an extent that has not previously been possible. Then, we review the literature to explain cross-national variation in protest levels and derive a series of hypotheses to explain cross-national levels of protest.. The results, we believe, provide the richest empirical evidence yet available on the actual use of protest across a nearly global range of nations. In addition, by evaluating past theories on the national level influences on protest, we develop a richer understanding of the role of protest in patterns of contemporary citizen action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How democratic is civil society in Latin America? Utilizing the Latinobarometer I develop a comparative framework to analyze the strength of civil society activity across 18 countries. Rather than focus on one type of civil society activity, I compare civil society capacity along three dimensionsâ€"organizational, mobilizational, and dialogical strength. This analysis not only provides an empirical baseline for examining the strength of civil society across the region, but also allows us to compare how different forms of civil society participation affect citizens themselves. I examine civil society’s potential for strengthening democracy in Latin America by analyzing how participation in three modes of civil society activity- voluntary association membership, protest activity, and political discussion- affect the democratic political orientations of individuals. I examine three types of democratic political orientations: attitudes toward oneself, including feeling of self-efficacy; attitudes towards others, including trust and tolerance, and attitudes toward the system, including support for the democratic process. This analysis contributes to our understanding of civil society's potential for deepening democracy in the region. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vibrant civil society is now widely assumed to be a necessity for ‘making democracy work’ (Putnam 1993; 2000). In particular civil society theorists argue that civil society organizations (CSOs) play a significant role in democratizing society by spreading democratic norms and practices. The neo- Tocquevillean literature asserts that CSOs cultivate democratic citizenship by teaching norms such as social trust, political participation and a general support for the democratic process (Warren 1998; Putnam 2000; Edwards and Foley 2001). Problematically, although civil society theorists admit that civil society has a “dark side”, a central question remains unresolved: Why do CSOs have strong democratic effects in some contexts, weak democratic effects in others, and anti-democratic effects in yet others? The context in which CSOs are embedded is a crucial and overlooked element to understanding civil society’s role in the deepening and strengthening of democracy (Armony 2004). I construct a multi-level model to examine how two key contextual variables- degree of political violence and connectedness to global civil society- affect the extent to which civil society organizations cultivate democratic norms and behaviors among citizens. I focus my analysis on Latin America, a region where civil society has been considered central to the transition and consolidation of democracy. I utilize the 2005 wave of the Latinobarometer to examine how participation in CSOs affects the development of democratic citizenship. I measure democratic citizenship along three dimensions- social trust, political engagement, and support for democracy. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]