To mark the release of his book La calidad de la democracia en América Latina, Professor Leonardo Morlino, professor of Political Science and Vice Provost in charge of research at LUISS, presented his research at the recent Third International Forum in Santo Domingo. The forum brought together a number of former presidents, ministers and politicians of the subcontinent along with scholars in the politics and economics of the region; last year’s forum took place from January 26-31.
Morlino has put forward an analysis of how the economic crisis has affected recent Latin American democracies, starting with the research done by the Red de Estudios sobre la Calidad de la Democracia en América Latina, which he coordinates. Financed by the Swedish foundation International IDEA (International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance), the network is made up of fifteen small groups of scholars linked to fifteen countries in South America. "Each of these groups,” explains the professor, “has assessed the quality of democracy in their country through an analysis based on indicators related to eight dimensions: the rule of law, electoral accountability, inter-institutional accountability, competition, participation, freedom, equality and responsiveness."
The fifteen reports prepared on the basis of qualitative and quantitative data showed the main problems that affect the democratic order: "Alongside problems like corruption, personal safety and the limits of administration, there are other evident ones such as the economic crisis, which has hit less hard here than in Europe but is still present, and the topic of social and economic inequality, which is again the topic of discussion because of the reduction of resources." These phenomena, according to the director of the LUISS International Center on Democracy and Democratization (ICEDD), weaken trust in institutions and in the idea of democracy.
The debates of the Santo Domingo forum have also addressed issues such as the personalization of politics and the issue of re-election, including for more than two terms. According to Professor Morlino: "In several cases the strengthening of the figure of the president has led to constitutional amendments that allow them to be re-elected several times, even after a term with another president (as has happened in Ecuador or in Santo Domingo). These amendments can create limits and constraints on electoral responsibility, that is, on a key mechanism of representative democracy meant to give citizens the possibility of punishing or rewarding those elected."
Despite the obvious difficulties in implementing the policy recommendations that have emerged from the debate, the Forum agreed on a number of objectives to pursue: "The different countries should incentivize policies against corruption, improve administrative efficiency, strengthen personal safety and create a class of independent judges and arbitrators."