Course Syllabus

This course provides an introduction to political institutions and institutional reform in contemporary Latin America. The central theme of the course will be to focus on the emergence and functioning of key political institutions in Latin America, including the presidency, the legislature, the system of electoral rules, political parties, the judiciary, and the bureaucracy. The course will draw on a broad range of theoretical perspectives to analyze institutional choice and performance. In addition, the course will consider competing definitions of institutions, evaluate the trade-offs posed by institutional choice, and consider the prospects for institutional reform in the region.