Democracy Against Parties: The Divergent Fates of Latin America’s New Left Contenders (Pitt Latin American Series)

"Around the world, established parties are weakening, and new parties are failing to take root. In many cases, outsiders have risen and filled the void, posing a threat to democracy. Why do most new parties fail? Under what conditions do they survive and become long-term electoral fixtures? Brandon Van Dyck investigates these questions in the context of the contemporary Latin American left. He argues that stable parties are not an outgrowth of democracy. On the contrary, contemporary democracy impedes successful party building. To construct a durable party, elites must invest time and labor, and they must share power with activists. Because today's elites have access to party substitutes like mass media, they can win votes without making such sacrifices in time, labor, and autonomy. Only under conditions of soft authoritarianism do office-seeking elites have a strong electoral incentive to invest in party building. Van Dyck illustrates this argument through a comparative analysis of four new left parties in Latin America: two that collapsed and two that survived"-- Provided by publisher Contents Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction: The Divergent Fates of Latin America’s New Left Contenders Chapter 1: Democracy against Parties: Why Some New Parties Collapse and Others Survive Chapter 2: The Electoral Collapse of Argentina’s FREPASO Chapter 3: The Fatal Schism of Peru’s United Left Chapter 4: The Survival of Brazil’s Workers’ Party Chapter 5: The Survival of Mexico’s Party of the Democratic Revolution Chapter 6: Shadow Cases Conclusion: Alternative Paths and Theoretical Implications Notes Bibliography Index Investigates why parites fail in the context of the contemporary Latin American left.