Costa Rican democracy: its character and evolution Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Walker, James Hess, 1930- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 24/09/2021 04:39:06 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/317896 COSTA RICAN DEMOCRACY: ITS CHARACTER AND EVOLUTION by James H.-Walker A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT In Partial Fulfillment of the- Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1 9 6 5 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: z APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: ). A. GOMEZ Professor of Government ACKNOWLEDGMENTS! The.writer wishes to express his sincere appreciation to Dr. R. A. Gomez for his guidance during the preparation of this thesis and for his patience and encouragement throughout the past year. I am also deeply grateful to my wife, Edwina, whose many sacrifices helped make the completion of this work possible. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES . .. vi ABSTRACT ooooooooooeoo vii Chapters I. AN APPRAISAL OF DEMOCRACY . .. , 1 E I e O t ZL OP S e o e o o e e < 8 Political Parties «.»»», 10 Interest Groups « « . » , 12 education o » o « o o * o < 13 Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches . , . , 14 Constitution . » . , . , 15 Civil Liberties . , . , 16 Economics . , , = » » . , 16 Civic Culture 17 Social Problems „ « « « . , 20 Summary ........ 21 II. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN­ COSTA RICA O © O O O O © 25 Geography. 25 Economic . 29 Land Tenure . 33 Demography . 36 Educational System 38 Summary . 40 iv V -TABLE. OF CONTENTS — Continued Chapter ' .. Page III. COSTA RICAN POLITICAL DYNAMICS . 43 Political History ...... 43 Political, Parties ...... 56 Interest Groups ' ...... 61 - Campaigns and Elections . 64 Communications Media ..... 68 Civic Culture ...... 69 Social Problems - ...... 71 Summary ........... 73 IV. POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS ...... 78 Political Geography ...... 78 The Executive Branch . 81 The Legislative Branch .... 83 The’ Judicial Branch ...... 85 Autonomous Agencies ...... 86 The. Constitution . 89 Summary .......... 90 V. CONCLUSION ......... ' 92 Democratic Evolution ..... 92 Democratic Character . 98 Summary ......... 101 LIST OF REFERENCES 102 LIST OF TABLES Table. Page I. RATINGS. OF COSTA RICAN DEMOCRACY . 1 II. CRITERIA ASSOCIATED WITH DEMOCRACY . 22 III. CENTRAL AMERICAN NATIONAL INCOME l .. 32 IV. COSTA RICAN LAND TENURE - . 35 V. POLITICAL DIVISION OF COSTA RICA .. 79 ( vi ABSTRACT The purpose of. this thesis is to describe the character and trace the evolution of Costa Rican democracy. While the exact definition of democracy is elusive, there does exist considerable consensus about some of the identifying criteria associated with democracy. Such criteria as the state of economic attainment, educational level, activities of political parties, conduct of elections, operation and con­ struction of the executive-judicial-legislative branches, the character of the civic culture and the treatment of social problems are all relevant in de­ termining the status of democracy. Us:ing these criteria as guidelines we find that in Costa Rica democracy is enhanced by economic development which has resulted in the attainment of the highest per capita income in Central America and a comprehensive education program responsible for raising the literacy rate to 80 percent. A study of Costa Rica' political history reveals a relatively peaceful evolution to democracy fostered by enlightened leader­ ship, widespread land ownership ,• and ethnic, lingual, and religious homogeneity. vii Vlll Today the government reflects the historic development of the Costa Rican people’s commitment to the. principles of democracy. Adequately safe­ guarded civil rights, free and active political partici­ pation, and responsible treatment of social problems ' are manifestations of a high degree of correlation between political processes in Costa Rica and demo­ cratic norms. Because of this, the continued democratic maturation of Costa Rica seems assured.' CHAPTER I AN APPRAISAL OF DEMOCRACY Costa Rica is considered one of the most democratic and politically advanced nations in Latin America„ As the following table demonstrates9 there seems to be a consensus concerning the validity of this claim: TABLE I RATINGS OF COSTA RICAN DEMOCRACY Date Authority Rating Given Leslie Lipson Only clearly democratic country in Latin America^ 19 39 Russell Ho Fitzgibbon Second most democratic and Kenneth F. Johnson nation in Latin America^ I9 60 Hubert Herring Costa Rica with Uruguay most soundly democratic of all Latin American States0 196 2 James L» Busey . Among the most democratic republics of the hemisphere^ 1964 ^Leslie Lipson, Democratic Civilization (New York: Oxford University Press, 1964) 9 p 0 84» ! " 1 2 .TABLE I--Continued ^Russell H. Fitzgibbon, and Kenneth F, Johnson, "Measurement of Latin American Political Change," American Political Science Review, LV (September, 1961), 518. CA„ Custis Wilgus (ed.), The Caribbean: Its Political Problems (Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1962), p. 254. ^Martin C. Needier (ed.), Political Systems of Latin America (Princeton: D, Van Nostrand and Co., Inc., 1964), p. 113. Even John D. Martz, who in rather sobering terms describes Costa Rica’s undemocratic tendencies, admits that "Costa Rica is well ahead of its sister republics in many fields, notably political maturity and liberty."^ If we accept the plausibility of Costa Rica’s ndemocratic reputation, what is to be gained by investi­ gating an already widely accepted fact about which there is little contention? Primarily the answer lies in the very fact that Costa Rica is accepted as a democratic country which is rare for a Latin American country. The vast majority of the Latin American nations, although committed to.democratic principles ever since the wars for independence, have not realized the full attainment of 1 John D. Martz, Central America: The Crisis and the Challenge (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 19 59), p. 211. democracyo At the least9 an investigation of the charac­ ter and evolution of Costa Rican- democracy should con­ tribute to a deeper understanding of the problems a Latin American nation faces in its quest for representative government. Also, an investigation of this type should reveal whether the reputation gained by Cqsta Rica is fully justified. As a by-product some insight may be gained into the cultural prerequisites present in Costa Rica which fostered its democratic attainment. If Costa Rica has in fact succeeded in attaining democracy where so many others' in the same political culture have failed, surely the.reasons for this success merit some consider­ ation, for the prescription of democracy as a cure for the ills which afflict Latin America is being challenged by other ideologies.. The applicability of the democratic solution must.be demonstrated or it is liable to be re­ placed by other systems which promise more revolutionary change. In order to appraise the character of Costa Rican democracy we must establish a referent set of criteria which will guide our" investigation. To discover exactly the concept of democracy, if it is possible at all, is a task beyond the scope of this thesis. In fact, as Saul Padover said: "... despite a voluminous literature on the subject, there exists no fully satisfactory or o comprehensive theory of democracy." However, while we fully recognize the elusiveness of our.subject, if we are to discuss the character of Costa Rican democracy, we must develop some standards of comparison or guiding . precepts which can be utilized as a basis for analyzing Costa Rica’s political institutions and processes. The purpose of this chapter then, is to formulate some of the essential:elements of democracy about which some con­ sensus exists and to develop some of the more contemporary notions pertaining to what conditions are conducive to the attainment of the democratic process. Our task is complicated by the fact that democracy is a complex process within which there can exist a vast array Of processes and institutions operating in various Q combinations. ' -For when we deal with democracy, we are not only working with political, economic and social factors, 1 - but also with a variety of ideals, aspirations, tradition­ al practices and prejudices.^ For these reasons then, the 2Saul K. Padover, The Meaning of Democracy (New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1963), p. 10.