FEBRUARY, 2007 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… TTTHHHEEE PPPOOOLLLIIITTTIIICCCAAALLL CCCUUULLLTTTUUURRREEE OOOFFF DDDEEEMMMOOOCCCRRRAAACCCYYY IIINNN PPPAAANNNAAAMMMAAA::: 222000000666 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… By: Orlando J. Pérez, Ph.D., Central Michigan University Mitchell A. Seligson, Ph.D., Scientific Coordinator and Editor of the Series, Vanderbilt University ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… This study was carried out thanks to the support of the Democracy and Governance Program of the United States Agency for International Development. The opinions expressed in this study belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the point of view of the United States Agency for International Development. The Political Culture of Democracy in Panama: 2006 Table of contents List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. i List of Figures............................................................................................................................... iv Presentation................................................................................................................................viii Foreword........................................................................................................................................ x Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... xvi Executive Summary.................................................................................................................. xvii I. Panama’s Political Culture .................................................................................................. 1 The Economic Situation.............................................................................................................. 1 Public Perceptions of the Economy ............................................................................................ 7 Democracy and Elections ......................................................................................................... 10 Political Culture ........................................................................................................................ 14 Research on Political Culture.................................................................................................... 16 Empirical Studies...................................................................................................................... 17 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 18 References................................................................................................................................. 19 II. Methodology and Distribution of the Survey ................................................................... 23 Distribution of the Sample........................................................................................................ 24 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 29 III. The Meaning of Democracy ........................................................................................... 30 Other Measures of Support for Democracy.............................................................................. 37 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 40 IV. Supporting Stable Democracy ....................................................................................... 41 The Existence of a Political Community in Panama ................................................................ 42 Institutional System Support..................................................................................................... 48 Predictors of Institutional System Support ............................................................................... 52 Political Tolerance .................................................................................................................... 59 Support for Stable Democracy.................................................................................................. 66 The Empirical Relation Between Tolerance and Support for the System ................................ 67 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 71 V. Corruption and Democracy ............................................................................................... 72 The Magnitude of the Corruption Problem in Panama............................................................. 72 Levels of Victimization by Corruption..................................................................................... 75 Predictors of Victims of Corruption ......................................................................................... 86 Corruption Levels in Public Officials....................................................................................... 91 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 92 VI. The Rule of Law.............................................................................................................. 93 Measuring the Rule of Law: A Methodological Proposal ........................................................ 93 Levels of Trust in the Protection of Rights............................................................................... 93 Victimization by Crime........................................................................................................... 101 Evaluating the Panamanian Judicial System........................................................................... 108 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 118 i The Political Culture of Democracy in Panama: 2006 VII. Local Government and Democracy............................................................................. 119 Satisfaction with Municipal Governance................................................................................ 121 Public Participation in Municipal Affairs............................................................................... 128 Petitioning Municipal Governments....................................................................................... 135 Comparing the National and Local Government.................................................................... 139 Trust in Municipal Government.............................................................................................. 142 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 148 VIII. Voting Behavior in Panama ......................................................................................... 149 Predictors of Voter Turnout in the 2004 Elections ................................................................. 153 Political Orientations .............................................................................................................. 158 Evaluating the Current Administration................................................................................... 162 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 169 IX. Participation and Social Capital.................................................................................. 170 Participation Levels ................................................................................................................ 171 Factors that Explain Participation Levels ............................................................................... 173 Effects of Participation on Community Action ...................................................................... 179 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 184 Annex I: Technical Description of the Sample....................................................................... 185 Annex II: Questionnaire........................................................................................................... 197 Annex II: C: Precision of the results....................................................................................... 225 iiii The Political Culture of Democracy in Panama: 2006 List of Tables Table I.1 Selected Economic Indicators .......................................................................................................1 Table I.2 Incidence of Poverty......................................................................................................................6 Table I.3 Presidential Election Results since the Restoration of Democracy .............................................13 Table I.4 Distribution of Seats by Party for the Three Legislative Sessions since the Restoration of Democracy ..................................................................................................................................................14