Comparative table
Power Structure
Democracy in transformation
Scenario of the redistribution of power.
Democracy in tension
Scenario of the concentration of power.
Democracy in mobilization
Scenario of the decentralization of power and of the questioning of traditional power.
Democracy in agony
Scenario of the predominance of organized crime and violence.
Democratic Institutions and Political Culture
Democracy in transformation
There is a quest to increase the value of politics and improve the capacity to govern with the greatest efficiency and transparency through structural reforms. The goal is a deepening of the exercise of citizens’ rights, of the institutional mechanisms of social participation, and of the fortification of the democratic system through greater inclusion and pluralism.
Democracy in tension
Different phenomena, such as a reconfiguration of leadership in some cases and a caudillist tradition in others, expand the concentration of power, erode institutional controls and checks and balances, generate permanent power disputes, and influence the exercise of democracy.
Democracy in mobilization
Frustration with the traditional democratic model generates a permanent push forward through strategic work in networks, popular pressure and the appropriation of new technologies by citizens, and social movements.
Democracy in agony
An undermining of institutions and a consolidation of governing schemes weaken the ideal democracy in many territories in the region. This is due to the greater sophistication of organized crime to penetrate the state, the outbreak of violence, the growth of corruption, the ability of criminals to operate with impunity, and the attachment to authoritarian solutions.
Civic Participation
Democracy in transformation
Greater incentives, better means of participation, and greater emphasis on educating citizens to rebuild a sense of civil ethics lead to a more demanding electorate, greater levels of participation in the traditional schemes of representation, and a general collaboration between society and the state.
Democracy in tension
Prevalência do voto cativo, diminuição da participação eleitoral, ausência de informação fidedigna e aumento “Captive votes,” reduction in electoral participation, absence of reliable information, and increase in mistrust toward the public prevail.
Democracy in mobilization
Factors such as new horizontal cooperation schemes, activism in parallel networks, and the expansion of social movements generate pressure on the state, raise questions about voting as an effective means of influence, and engender more widespread citizen empowerment and collective appropriation of shared interests beyond the traditional representative framework.
Democracy in agony
The citizenry adopts silence, fear, self-censorship, and double standards of morality. Civic values decline in territories and provinces in the region.
Economic Development and Social Inclusion
Democracy in transformation
Alternative models of sustainable development and more effective redistributive politics to overcome the structural challenges of poverty and inequality predominate. These factors lead to greater productivity and higher salaries.
Democracy in tension
Shortsighted solutions and economic efficiency above social justice and environmental equilibrium prevail. These factors impede a more fair distribution of power and income.
Democracy in mobilization
Innovative models, including forms of local economic development that are less dependent on the state and new forms of commercialization based on sustainable and just economic models and on work done in networks, emerge.
Democracy in agony
Given the absence of guarantees for inclusive growth and the inoperability of the redistributive mechanisms of the state, poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation increase.
Regional Integration
Democracy in transformation
Various countries group themselves in commercial and political blocs that insert the region on the global map with greater force.
Democracy in tension
Tendency to shortsightedness, which leads to a slowing down of regional integration and to the loss of competitiveness with other regions in the world.
Democracy in mobilization
Development of new forms of exchange and regional territorial integration and of new agendas for multilateral bodies through the influence of networks.
Democracy in agony
The dynamism and growth of informal and illegal mechanisms of regional integration exceed the slow advance of support for regional accords and shared solutions.