The Political Culture of Democracy in Costa Rica, 2004 Jorge Vargas-Cullell, CCP Luis Rosero-Bixby, CCP With the collaboration of Auria Villalta Ericka Méndez Mitchell A. Seligson Scientific Coordinator and Editor of the Series Vanderbilt University This publication was made possible through support provided by the USAID Missions in Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. Support was also provided by the Office of Regional Sustainable Development, Democracy and Human Rights Division, Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the Office of Democracy and Governance, Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, U.S. Agency for International Development, under the terms of Task Order Contract No. AEP-I-12-99-00041-00. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Table of Contents Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... i List of Tables and Figures........................................................................................................... iii List of Tables...........................................................................................................................................iii List of Figures.......................................................................................................................................... iv Acronyms..................................................................................................................................... vii Executive Summary..................................................................................................................... ix Preface......................................................................................................................................... xiii Prologue ........................................................................................................................................xv Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................... xix 1.0 Context......................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Historical Evolution............................................................................................................................ 1 1.3 Recent Economic And Social Evolution ............................................................................................ 6 1.4 Recent Political Evolution.................................................................................................................. 7 1.4 Recent Studies in Political Culture................................................................................................... 10 2.0 Data and Methods..................................................................................................................13 2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 13 2.2 Sample Design.................................................................................................................................. 13 2.3 Instruments for Data Collection ....................................................................................................... 15 2.4 Fieldwork.......................................................................................................................................... 16 2.5 Data Processing ................................................................................................................................ 16 2.6 Definition of the Variables for the Analysis..................................................................................... 17 2.7 Results from the Sample and Description of the Respondents......................................................... 18 2.8 Statistical Analyses........................................................................................................................... 20 2.9 Precision of the Results .................................................................................................................... 21 3.0 Support for Democracy .........................................................................................................25 3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 25 3.2 Political Community and Trust in Institutions ................................................................................. 26 3.3 System Support................................................................................................................................. 28 3.4 Political Tolerance............................................................................................................................ 36 3.5 Support for a Stable Democracy....................................................................................................... 40 3.6 Comparative Note With Respect to Another Methodology to Measure Support for Democracy .... 45 3.7 A Surprising Result: Attitudes That Justify A Coup D’état ............................................................. 49 4.0 Corruption in Public Affairs.................................................................................................57 4.1 Context ............................................................................................................................................. 57 4.2 Perception of Prevalence of Corruption ........................................................................................... 58 4.3 Acquiescence to Corruption ............................................................................................................. 59 4.4 Victimization by Corrupt Acts ......................................................................................................... 62 4.5 Corruption and Support for Democracy ........................................................................................... 66 5.0 Protection of Citizens’ Rights and Security.........................................................................67 5.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 67 5.2 Protection of Rights.......................................................................................................................... 68 The Political Culture of Democracy in Mexico, Central America, and Colombia, 2004: Costa Rica i 5.3 Perception of Security ...................................................................................................................... 74 5.4 Protective Measures Adopted by Households .................................................................................. 79 5.5 Victimization by Criminal Acts........................................................................................................ 83 6.0 Local Governments................................................................................................................87 6.1 Context ............................................................................................................................................. 87 6.2 Specificity of Local Problems .......................................................................................................... 88 6.3 Performance of the Municipal Government .....................................................................................91 6.3.1 Effectiveness and Responsiveness ............................................................................................................91 6.3.2 Satisfaction with Municipal Services ........................................................................................................96 6.3.2 Accountability.........................................................................................................................................101 6.4 Citizen Participation in Municipal Affairs ..................................................................................... 104 6.4 Final Note: Transferal of Obligations to the Municipalities........................................................... 107 7.0 Electoral Behavior ...............................................................................................................109 7.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 109 7.2 Attitudes Towards the Vote............................................................................................................ 109 7.3 Electoral Participation .................................................................................................................... 112 7.3.1 Exercising the Vote .................................................................................................................................113 7.3.2 Electoral Participation Beyond Voting....................................................................................................118