What promotes or hinders the development of conservative parties in Latin America? What does this augur for the stable representation of the propertied and socially privileged in political parties? In "Class and Conservative Parties, " Edward L. Gibson examines these questions in light of Latin America's long legacies of authoritarianism and democratic instability.

Gibson explores these questions theoretically, historically and comparatively. He develops an approach to the comparative study of conservative parties that sheds new theoretical light on the social dynamics of party politics. Historically, he traces the determinants of conservative party development in Argentina, providing a rich analysis of how interactions between conservatism's elite "core constituencies," party leaders, and the state shaped the rise and fall of conservative parties in the 19th and 20th centuries. Gibson also presents a comparative examination of conservative party politics in Latin America during the 1980s and 1990s and offers a thoughtful look ahead to conservatism's future in the region.

We live in an increasingly federalized world. This fact has generated interest in how federal institutions shape politics, policy-making, and the quality of life of those living in federal systems. In "Federalism and Democracy in Latin America, " Edward L. Gibson brings together a distinguished group of scholars to examine the Latin American experience with federalism and to advance our theoretical understanding of politics in federal systems.

By means of theoretical essays and case studies, the authors address questions of how and when federal institutions matter for politics, policy-making, and democratic practice. They also offer conceptual approaches for studying federal systems, their origins, and their internal dynamics. "Federalism and Democracy in Latin America" provides case studies on the four existing federal systems in Latin America-Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela-and their experiences in dealing with a variety of issues, including federal system formation, democratization, electoral representation, and economic reform.

Contributors: Edward L. Gibson, Northwestern University; Alfred Stepan, Columbia University; Scott Mainwaring, University of Notre Dame; Ernesto Calvo, University of Houston; Alberto Diaz Cayeros, Stanford University; Tulia Gabriela Falleti, University of Pennsylvania; Enrique Ochoa Reza, Columbia University; Michael Penfold-Becerra, Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administracion, Venezuela; David J. Samuels, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Richard Snyder, Brown University of Illinois.

The democratization of a national government is only a first step in the diffusion of democracy throughout a country's territory. Even after a national government is democratized, subnational authoritarian enclaves often continue to deny rights to citizens of local jurisdictions. Edward L. Gibson offers new theoretical perspectives for the study of democratization in his exploration of this phenomenon. His theory of boundary control captures the conflict pattern between incumbents and oppositions when a national democratic government exists alongside authoritarian provinces (or states ). He also reveals how federalism and the territorial organization of countries shape how subnational authoritarian regimes are built and how they unravel. Through a novel comparison of the late nineteenth-century American Solid South with contemporary experiences in Argentina and Mexico, Gibson reveals that the mechanisms of boundary control are reproduced across countries and historical periods. As long as subnational authoritarian governments coexist with national democratic governments, boundary control will be at play.

The democratization of a national government is only a first step in the diffusion of democracy throughout a country's territory. Even after a national government is democratized, subnational authoritarian enclaves often continue to deny rights to citizens of local jurisdictions. Edward L. Gibson offers new theoretical perspectives for the study of democratization in his exploration of this phenomenon. His theory of boundary control captures the conflict pattern between incumbents and oppositions when a national democratic government exists alongside authoritarian provinces (or states ). He also reveals how federalism and the territorial organization of countries shape how subnational authoritarian regimes are built and how they unravel. Through a novel comparison of the late nineteenth-century American Solid South with contemporary experiences in Argentina and Mexico, Gibson reveals that the mechanisms of boundary control are reproduced across countries and historical periods. As long as subnational authoritarian governments coexist with national democratic governments, boundary control will be at play.