Overview

This book provides an overview of elections throughout Latin America, including formal electoral institutions, informal practices, and the behavior of voters and candidates. Through a wide-ranging synthesis of scholarly literature and primary sources, it offers a descriptive and analytical look at how elections in Latin America work, from the legal rules of the game to the final counting of the votes. It also shows how electoral institutions and practices vary across countries, and how elections can be instruments of both democracy and autocracy. Organized thematically and written in accessible prose, the book draws on electoral laws, election observer reports, news accounts, and cutting-edge scholarly work to produce a highly readable narrative. With chapters covering electoral integrity, electoral systems for presidential and legislative elections, candidacies, political parties, campaigning and campaign finance, and voter behavior, this book offers a broad overview of electoral politics throughout Latin America. The text provides even-handed discussion of engaging themes such as gender quotas, vote buying, the role of social media in campaigns, and corruption in campaign finance. To enhance the book’s readability and pedagogical value, each chapter provides clear examples from countries across Latin America. Nearly every chapter also includes one or more text-box case studies that explore a theme from the chapter in more detail. Readers will thus find a clearly presented overview of elections from Mexico to Argentina that is informed by a wide body of political science scholarship and complemented with illustrative examples, case studies, and data. With its clear exposition and timely synthesis of the maturing scholarly field of Latin American elections, this is a volume that is sure to appeal to both students new to the study of Latin American politics and experienced scholars.

Full Product Details

9781538189023

Table of Contents

Reviews

"""Kevin Pallister has written a highly accessible and engaging introduction to the study of elections in Latin America. It deftly synthesizes what we know about the conduct of elections and campaigns, the strategies that candidates and parties employ to win votes, and how voters sort it all out at the ballot box. Elections in Latin America: Campaigns, Voters, and Institutions will fit well in courses on Latin American politics, comparative political behavior, and elections more broadly."" ""This book offers a comprehensive overview of a central yet underappreciated aspect of Latin American politics: elections. The wide-ranging volume brings together topics such as gender quotas, campaign communication, party systems, and vote buying by focusing on the central theme of electoral politics that runs through them. An invaluable reference and an engaging text."""

"""Kevin Pallister has written a highly accessible and engaging introduction to the study of elections in Latin America. It deftly synthesizes what we know about the conduct of elections and campaigns, the strategies that candidates and parties employ to win votes, and how voters sort it all out at the ballot box. Elections in Latin America: Campaigns, Voters, and Institutions will fit well in courses on Latin American politics, comparative political behavior, and elections more broadly."" --Ryan Carlin, professor of political science, director of the Center for Human Rights and Democracy, Georgia State University"

"""Kevin Pallister has written a highly accessible and engaging introduction to the study of elections in Latin America. It deftly synthesizes what we know about the conduct of elections and campaigns, the strategies that candidates and parties employ to win votes, and how voters sort it all out at the ballot box. Elections in Latin America: Campaigns, Voters, and Institutions will fit well in courses on Latin American politics, comparative political behavior, and elections more broadly."" --Ryan Carlin, professor of political science, director of the Center for Human Rights and Democracy, Georgia State University ""This book offers a comprehensive overview of a central yet underappreciated aspect of Latin American politics: elections. The wide-ranging volume brings together topics such as gender quotas, campaign communication, party systems, and vote buying by focusing on the central theme of electoral politics that runs through them. An invaluable reference and an engaging text."" --Taylor Boas, professor and chair, department of political science, Boston University"

Author Information

Kevin Pallister is associate professor of political science at Bridgewater College. His research focuses on election administration, electoral campaigning, and political participation in Latin America. His research has also been published in International Journal of Press/Politics, Journal of Politics in Latin America, Latin American Politics and Society, Policy Studies, and Revista de Ciencia Pol�tica.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available