We live in an increasingly federalized world. This fact has generated interest in how federal institutions shape politics, policy-making, and the quality of life of those living in federal systems. In Federalism and Democracy in Latin America, Edward L. Gibson brings together a distinguished group of scholars to examine the Latin American experience with federalism and to advance our theoretical understanding of politics in federal systems.

By means of theoretical essays and case studies, the authors address questions of how and when federal institutions matter for politics, policy-making, and democratic practice. They also offer conceptual approaches for studying federal systems, their origins, and their internal dynamics. Federalism and Democracy in Latin America provides case studies on the four existing federal systems in Latin America–Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela–and their experiences in dealing with a variety of issues, including federal system formation, democratization, electoral representation, and economic reform.

Contributors: Edward L. Gibson, Northwestern University; Alfred Stepan, Columbia University; Scott Mainwaring, University of Notre Dame; Ernesto Calvo, University of Houston; Alberto Diaz Cayeros, Stanford University; Tulia Gabriela Falleti, University of Pennsylvania; Enrique Ochoa Reza, Columbia University; Michael Penfold-Becerra, Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración, Venezuela; David J. Samuels, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Richard Snyder, Brown University of Illinois.

Edward L. Gibson is associate professor of Political Science and Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence at Northwestern University