Civil Society, Political Capital, and Democratization in Central America

Robert Putnam argues that civil society-citizen organizational activity-contributes to successful governance and democracy, outcomes potentially helpful in reconstructing Central America. Putnam does not, however, specify how civil society shapes government performance. We demonstrate how group participation might impinge upon the state through the "political capital" of political participation and democratic norms. We first explore the relationships among two civil society measures (formal group activism and community self-help activism) and social and political capital, employing survey data from Central America. We then investigate the effects of civil society and social and political capital upon levels of democracy. We find that while higher levels of formal group membership and several political capital measures associate with higher levels of democracy, social capital lacks the relationship Putnam predicts. We conclude that political rather than social capital links formal group activism to democracy in Central America.

[1]  R. B. House,et al.  At the University of North Carolina , 1945 .

[2]  N. Nie,et al.  The modes of democratic participation , 1971 .

[3]  M. Margaret Conway,et al.  Political participation in the United States , 1985 .

[4]  Michael Mcclintock.  State terror and popular resistance in El Salvador , 1985 .

[5]  Norman Uphoff,et al.  Local Organizations: Intermediaries in Rural Development. , 1985 .

[6]  Michael Mcclintock.  State terror and popular resistance in Guatemala , 1985 .

[7]  Peter J. Gregory.  Getting Ahead Collectively: Grassroots Experiences in Latin America , 1986 .

[8]  John A. Booth,et al.  The End and the Beginning: The Nicaraguan Revolution , 1986 .

[9]  EDUCATION, PARTICIPATION, AND SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRATIC NORMS , 1987 .

[10]  J. Coleman,et al.  Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital , 1988, American Journal of Sociology.

[11]  B McNulty.  Laying the groundwork. , 1988, Ontario dentist.

[12]  L. North,et al.  Understanding Central America , 1989 .

[13]  M. Seligson,et al.  Elections and Democracy in Central America , 1989 .

[14]  V. Bulmer-thomas,et al.  The Political Economy of Central America since 1920. , 1989 .

[15]  M. Macleod,et al.  To Lead as Equals: Rural Protest and Political Consciousness in Chinandega, Nicaragua, 1912-1979 , 1990 .

[16]  John W Clark.  Democratizing Development: The Role of Voluntary Organizations , 1991 .

[17]  S. Jonas.  The battle for Guatemala , 1991 .

[18]  S. Jonas.  The Battle For Guatemala : Rebels, Death Squads, And U.s. Power , 1992 .

[19]  C. R. Hale.  To Lead as Equals: Rural Protest and Political Consciousness in Chinandega, Nicaragua, 1912-1979:To Lead as Equals: Rural Protest and Political Consciousness in Chinandega, Nicaragua, 1912-1979. , 1992 .

[20]  Jean Louise Cohen,et al.  Civil Society and Political Theory , 2020, Crime, Inequality and the State.

[21]  Joel Rogers,et al.  Secondary Associations and Democratic Governance , 1992 .

[22]  Thomas F. Carroll,et al.  Intermediary NGOs: The Supporting Link in Grassroots Development , 1992 .

[23]  John D. Stephens,et al.  Capitalist Development and Democracy. , 1992 .

[24]  R. Putnam,et al.  Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy. , 1994 .

[25]  Steven J. Rosenstone,et al.  Mobilization, participation, and democracy in America , 1993 .

[26]  M. Seligson,et al.  Political Culture and Regime Type: Evidence from Nicaragua and Costa Rica , 1993, The Journal of Politics.

[27]  D. Blaney,et al.  Civil society and democracy in the third world: Ambiguities and historical possibilities , 1993 .

[28]  P. J. Williams.  Dual transitions from authoritarian rule : popular and electoral democracy in Nicaragua , 1994 .

[29]  Mitchell A. Seligson,et al.  Civic Culture and Democracy: The Question of Causal Relationships , 1994, American Political Science Review.

[30]  R. Putnam.  Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital , 1995 .

[31]  R. Putnam.  Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital , 1995, The City Reader.

[32]  T. S. Montgomery.  Revolution in El Salvador : from civil strife to civil peace , 1996 .

[33]  M. W. Foley.  Laying the Groundwork: The Struggle for Civil Society in El Salvador , 1996 .

[34]  M. Seligson,et al.  Elections and democracy in Central America, revisited , 1996 .

[35]  Bob Edwards,et al.  The Paradox of Civil Society , 1996 .

[36]  J. Booth,et al.  Repression, Participation and Democratic Norms in Urban Central America , 1996 .

[37]  Sidney Tarrow,et al.  Making Social Science Work Across Space and Time: A Critical Reflection on Robert Putnam's Making Democracy Work , 1996, American Political Science Review.

[38]  Enrique Peruzzotti.  Civil Society and the Modern Constitutional Complex: The Argentine Experience , 1997 .

[39]  L. Avritzer.  Introduction: The Meaning and Employment of ‘Civil Society’ in Latin America , 1997 .

[40]  Escapte from Politics? Social Theory and the Social Capital Debate , 1997 .

[41]  Nicola Lynch.  New Citizens and Old Politics in Peru , 1997 .

[42]  Alberto J. Olvera.  Civil Society and Political Transition in Mexico , 1997 .

[43]  M. W. Foley,et al.  Beyond Tocqueville: Civil Society and Social Capital in Comparative Perspective , 1998 .

[44]  J. Booth,et al.  Civil Society and Political Context in Central America , 1998 .

[45]  A. Seligson.  Civic Association and Democratic Participation in Central America , 1999 .