As a wave of transitions from authoritarian rule swept across Latin America in the 1980s, the idea of "deepening democracy" emerged as a guiding principle of the political Left and social movements in much of the region. Through a comparative analysis of two very different cases, this book shows why the deepening of democracy proved so difficult to achieve in practice.

Deepening Democracy! suggests that the new project of the Left is heavily contingent on the organization of collective actors in civil society, a process that has been disrupted by the effects of economic crises, market liberalization, and electoral competition. The book sheds new theoretical light on the structural and institutional forces that have not only hampered the political success of the Left, but also limited the scope and quality of democratic practices in contemporary Latin America.

Thus, it shifts scholarly attention from the conditions for democratic transition and consolidation in Latin America to the character and consequences of democratic rule.