Struggles for Local Democracy in the Andes

摘要

During the 1980s and 1990s many Latin American nations embraced decentralisation, allowing for the direct election of mayors and city councils. These reforms aimed to make local government more accountable and responsive. In Ecuador and Bolivia decentralisation coincided with the growing political strength of indigenous and peasant movements. Across the rural Andes, these reforms opened spaces for indigenous peasants to vie for the first time for control of local governance. To what degree have decentralisation and the incursion of new actors into municipal politics led to a deepening of democracy, greater accountability, and participation at the local level? These are key questions addressed in Struggles for Local Democracy in the Andes. Cameron tackles them through a comparative study of six 'model' municipalities, singled out for their innovative administrations: two in each of three Andean nations, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. He analyses the factors that led to their ascent to local power and critically assesses the degree to which they live up to their reputations as models of participatory democracy.