………… … ………… … …… ………… … ……………… …… …………… ………………… … ……………………… The Political Culture of Democracy in Bolivia, 2008 The Impact of Governance By: Daniel E. Moreno Morales, National Coordinator Eduardo Córdova Eguívar Vivian Schwarz Blum Mitchell A. Seligson Gonzalo Vargas Villazón Miguel Villarroel Nikitenko Scientific Editor of the series: Mitchell A. Seligson ………… … ………… … …… ………… … ……………… …… …………… ………………… … ……………………… This study was possible thanks to the sponsorship endowed by the program of Democracy and Governance of the United States Agency for International Development. Points of view expressed in this study correspond to the authors and do not necessarily reflect opinions by the United States Agency for International Development. August 2008 The Political Culture of Democracy in Bolivia, 2008 Contents List of figures .................................................................................................................................... iv List of tables ..................................................................................................................................... vii Presentation ..................................................................................................................................... viii Prologue: Background to the Study ................................................................................................ ix Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................................. xvi Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... xviii Factors Affecting Political Culture Indicators ........................................................................................................ xviii Legitimacy and Tolerance: The Foundations for a Stable Democracy ..................................................................... xix Democracy in Times of Reform ................................................................................................................................ xx FIRST PART: THEORY AND COMPARISONS ACROSS COUNTRIES ....................... XXII Preface: The Context of Democracy in Bolivia and the Sample of the Study ......................... xxiii Context ..................................................................................................................................................... xxiii Democracy ............................................................................................................................................................. xxiii Electoral Processes ................................................................................................................................................. xxiii Disasters ................................................................................................................................................................. xxiv The State of the Economy ...................................................................................................................................... xxiv Sample Description ........................................................................................................................ xxv General Demographic Characteristics ................................................................................................... xxv Ethnicity in the Sample of Bolivia 2008 ................................................................................................................. xxx Chapter I. Building Support for Stable Democracy ....................................................................... 1 Theoretical framework ................................................................................................................................ 1 Working hypothesis ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Support for the idea of democracy per se (ing4) ......................................................................................................... 5 Support for core values on which democracy depends ................................................................................................ 7 Belief in the political legitimacy of core regime institutions ..................................................................................... 11 Social capital ............................................................................................................................................................. 13 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 15 SECOND PART: PUBLIC OPINION AND GOVERNANCE ............................................ 16 Chapter II. Corruption and its impact on support for stable democracy .................................. 17 Theoretical framework .............................................................................................................................. 17 How might corruption affect support for stable democracy? ................................................................ 18 The measurement of corruption ............................................................................................................... 18 Corruption victimization in comparative perspective ............................................................................ 20 Corruption Victimization in Bolivia ......................................................................................................... 23 The Impact of Corruption on Attitudes Toward a Stable Democracy in Bolivia ................................. 30 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 31 Chapter III. The Impact of Crime on Support for a Stable Democracy .................................... 32 Theoretical framework .............................................................................................................................. 32 i The Political Culture of Democracy in Bolivia, 2008 How might crime victimization affect support for stable democracy? .................................................. 36 The Measurement of Crime Victimization .............................................................................................. 36 Crime Victimization .................................................................................................................................................. 38 Who are those more exposed to crime? ..................................................................................................................... 41 The Impact of Crime Victimization on Support for a Stable Democracy ............................................. 43 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................. 46 Chapter IV. The Impact of Local Government Performance and Civil Society Participation on the Support for Stable Democracy ............................................................................................ 48 Theoretical framework .............................................................................................................................. 48 How Might Civil Society Participation and Local Government Attitudes and Behaviors Affect Citizen Support for Stable Democracy? ................................................................................................... 50 Measuring Local Government Participation and Perceptions ............................................................... 50 Measuring civil society participation ........................................................................................................ 51 Perceptions of Local Government in Comparative Perspective ................................................................................ 52 Citizen Participation in Bolivian Local Government .............................................................................. 60 The Impact of Satisfaction with Local Services on Support for a Stable Democracy in Bolivia ......... 63 The Degree of Local Civil Society Participation in Comparative Perspective ...................................... 69 The Impact of Local Civil Participation on Support for a Stable Democracy in Bolivia .................... 76 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................. 79 Chapter V. Impact of Citizen Perception of Government Economic Performance on Support for Stable Democracy ...................................................................................................................... 80 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................................. 80 How might perception of government economic performance affect support for stable democracy? 82 Government economic performance ........................................................................................................ 82 Measuring perception of government economic performance ..............................................................