DOCSLIB.ORG

Political Culture of Democracy in Colombia and in the Americas, 2012

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Political Culture of Democracy in Colombia and in the Americas, 2012 The Political Culture of Democracy in Colombia and the Americas, 2012: Towards Equality of Opportunity Juan Carlos Rodríguez-Raga, Ph.D. Universidad de los Andes Mitchell A. Seligson, Ph.D. Scientific Coordinator and Series Editor Vanderbilt University This study was made possible with support from the American people delivered through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the exclusive responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of USAID or the U.S. government. December 2012 1 Table of Contents Table of Contents Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... iii Tables .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... vii Figures .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ix Preface ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ xv Prologue: Background to the Study ............................................................................................................................................................... xvii Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................................................................................xxvi Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................................................................. xxxi Understanding Figures in the Study ........................................................................................................................................................... xxxix Part I: Equality of Opportunity and Democracy in the Americas .............................................................................................................1 Chapter One: Equality of Economic and Social Opportunities in the Americas ................................................................................. 3 I. Introduction ...........................................................................................................................................................................................3 II. Background: Equalities in Economic and Social Opportunities in the Americas .........................................................5 III. Equalities in Economic and Social Opportunities in Colombia: A View from the AmericasBarometer .......... 12 Public Opinion on Racial and Gender Inequality ................................................................................................... 28 IV. Public Opinion on Policy Proposals for Greater Equity ................................................................................................... 31 Conditional Cash Transfer and Public Assistance Programs .............................................................................. 32 Affirmative Action .............................................................................................................................................................. 37 V. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 38 Special Report Box 1: Educational Achievment and Skin Tone ...................................................................................... 40 Special Report Box 2: Economic Crisis, Skin Tone, and Household Wealth ............................................................. 41 Special Report Box 3: Support for Interethnic Marriage ................................................................................................... 42 Chapter Two: Equality of Political Participation in the Americas .......................................................................................................... 43 I. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 43 II. Participation in the Americas in 2012 ...................................................................................................................................... 46 Voter Turnout ...................................................................................................................................................................... 46 Beyond Voter Turnout ..................................................................................................................................................... 48 III. Public Opinion on Opportunities and Discriminatory Attitudes ................................................................................... 55 Public Opinion towards Political Leadership by Women .................................................................................... 56 Public Opinion towards Political Leadership by Those from Marginalized Racial/Ethnic Groups ...... 57 Public Opinion towards Political Leadership by Homosexuals ......................................................................... 59 Public Opinion towards Political Leadership by People with Disabilities ...................................................... 60 IV. Public Opinion on Policy Proposals ........................................................................................................................................ 62 Gender Quotas ................................................................................................................................................................... 62 Compulsory Voting ........................................................................................................................................................... 63 Reduction in Economic and Social Inequality ......................................................................................................... 63 iii AmericasBarometer 2012, Colombia V. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 64 Special Report Box 4: Political Participation and Gender ................................................................................................. 65 Special Report Box 5: Gender Quotas and Women’s Participation .............................................................................. 66 Special Report Box 6: Compulsory Voting and Inequalities in Political Participation .......................................... 67 Chapter Three: The Effect of Unequal Opportunities and Discrimination on Political Legitimacy and Engagement ....... 69 I. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 69 II. Inequality, Efficacy, and Perceptions of Representation ................................................................................................... 71 III. System Support and Engagement with Democracy .......................................................................................................... 78 IV. Protest Participation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 81 V. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 83 Special Report Box 7: Political Knowledge and the Urban-Rural Divide .................................................................... 85 Special Report Box 8: Discrimination and System Support ............................................................................................. 86 Special Report Box 9: Support for Democracy and Electoral Information ................................................................ 87 Part II: Governance, Political Engagement, and Civil Society in the Americas ................................................................................. 89 Chapter Four: Corruption, Crime, and Democracy .................................................................................................................................... 91 I. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 91 II. Corruption .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 93 Perception of Corruption ...............................................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Drug Trafficking and the Presidential Family in Venezuela: the Narco
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works Capstones Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism Fall 12-16-2016 Drug Trafficking and the esidentialPr Family in Venezuela: The Narco Nephews Daniela Castro Cuny Graduate School of Journalism How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gj_etds/337 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] At around 9:30 in the morning, two young men from a South American country enter a big wooden-wall room, from a side door. Today is the day of the verdict of their trial. They are shaved and well dressed. Tall windows offer a unique view of New York City in a cold November day. In the back of the room are two rows of five wooden benches for the attendees, 16 seats on a platform to the right for the jury, and a big U.S flag stands in the left corner of the room. High ceilings and a green carpet completes the picture of a courtroom that seems to be taken from a Hollywood film. The two men smile, greet their six attorneys — each one is represented by three lawyers from the two of the best law firms of the U.S (Boies, Schiller & Flexner and Sidley Austin LLP) — and take a seat. “You never see this,” says Elizabeth Williams, courtroom artist for more than 30 years. “You see federal defenders representing these people… generally (…) I mean unless these people have money and these two have access to money.” Minutes later, the judge, a white-haired man wearing a black gown enters the courtroom.
    [Show full text]
  • Moving Beyond Easy Wins: Colombia's Borders
    MOVING BEYOND EASY WINS: COLOMBIA’S BORDERS Latin America Report N°40 – 31 October 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................. i I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 II. VULNERABLE BORDERS ............................................................................................. 2 A. CENTRIFUGAL CONFLICT ............................................................................................................. 2 B. HUMANITARIAN CRISIS ................................................................................................................ 4 C. DIPLOMATIC REPERCUSSIONS ...................................................................................................... 6 III. A FRESH START: THE SANTOS AGENDA ............................................................... 7 A. RECONSTRUCTING DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS ................................................................................ 7 B. SPURRING SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ...................................................................... 8 C. REVIEWING CONSOLIDATION POLICY .......................................................................................... 9 IV. THE ECUADORIAN BORDER .................................................................................... 10 A. CONFLICT DYNAMICS ...............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluation of the Commission of the European Union's Co-Operation With
    Evaluation of the Commission of the European Union’s co-operation with Colombia Final Report October 2012 Evaluation for the European Commission Framework contract for Multi-country thematic and regional/country-level strategy evaluation studies and synthesis in the area of external co- operation Italy Germany LOT 4: Evaluation of EC geographic co-operation strategies for Aide à la Décision Économique Belgium countries/regions in Asia, Latin America, the Southern Mediterranean and Eastern Europe (the area of the New Neighbourhood Policy) Ref.: EuropeAid/122888/C/SER/Multi Request for Services: 2011/263-508 PARTICIP GmbH Germany Evaluation of the Commission of the Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik Germany European Union’s co-operation with Colombia Overseas Development Institute, United Kingdom European Institute for Asian Studies Belgium FINAL REPORT Instituto Complutense de Estudios Internacionales Spain A consortium of Particip-ADE–DRN-DIE–ODI-EIAS- October 2012 ICEI c/o DRN, leading company: Headquarters Via Ippolito Nievo 62 00153 Rome, Italy Tel: +39-06-581-6074 Fax: +39-06-581-6390 This evaluation was carried out by [email protected] BELGIUM OFFICE Rue du Tabellion 64 1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32-2-536-1390 Tel: +32-2-536-1391 Fax: +32-2-706-5442 [email protected] The evaluation study was carried out by: Josyane Bouchier (TL), Alejandro Alvarez Morato and Markus Schultze-Kraft. The team was assisted by Milena Leoni. The evaluation was managed by María del Carmen Bueno Barriga. The evaluation was managed by the Evaluation Unit of DG DEVCO. The authors accept sole responsibility for this report, drawn up on behalf of the Commission of the European Communities.
    [Show full text]
  • Colombia's Borders
    MOVING BEYOND EASY WINS: COLOMBIA’S BORDERS Latin America Report N°40 – 31 October 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................. i I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 II. VULNERABLE BORDERS ............................................................................................. 2 A. CENTRIFUGAL CONFLICT ............................................................................................................. 2 B. HUMANITARIAN CRISIS ................................................................................................................ 4 C. DIPLOMATIC REPERCUSSIONS ...................................................................................................... 6 III. A FRESH START: THE SANTOS AGENDA ............................................................... 7 A. RECONSTRUCTING DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS ................................................................................ 7 B. SPURRING SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ...................................................................... 8 C. REVIEWING CONSOLIDATION POLICY .......................................................................................... 9 IV. THE ECUADORIAN BORDER .................................................................................... 10 A. CONFLICT DYNAMICS ...............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Colombia: Issues for Congress
    Colombia: Issues for Congress June S. Beittel Analyst in Latin American Affairs March 18, 2011 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RL32250 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Colombia: Issues for Congress Summary President Juan Manuel Santos took office in August 2010 in Colombia after winning 69% of the vote in a runoff election held in June 2010. Santos defeated Colombian Green Party candidate Antanas Mockus. In his first months in office, President Santos has taken the country in a new direction, building on the accomplishments of his predecessor, Álvaro Uribe, who served for two terms, pursuing social, economic and political reforms in a program he calls “democratic prosperity.” Santos has strengthened relations with neighboring countries, including Venezuela and Ecuador, which had been strained under Uribe. Early indications are that he wants to broaden the scope of U.S.-Colombian relations to include issues such as energy and technology. Former President Uribe pursued an aggressive plan to address Colombia’s decades long conflict with the country’s leftist guerrillas and rightist paramilitary groups and to reduce the production of illicit drugs. Uribe is credited with restoring public security and creating a stable environment for investment. In recent years, Colombia, in close cooperation with the United States through a strategy known as Plan Colombia, has made significant progress in reestablishing government control over much of its territory, combating drug trafficking and terrorist activities, and reducing poverty. The improving security conditions and the weakening of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas are evidence that the strategy is working, according to supporters.
    [Show full text]