1st Edition
Explaining Support for Populism in Contemporary Latin America
Explaining Support for Populism in Contemporary Latin America investigates the stronghold that populism exerts on citizens in the developing world. More specifically, relying on regional surveys this book explores why many citizens consistently supported eight populist presidents who were elected in contemporary Latin America. It examines the determinants of support for the populist presidents who governed Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Nicaragua between 1999 through 2019, and the variables that explain support for the most recent populist presidents in Mexico, Brazil, and El Salvador between 2018 and 2023. Unique to this approach is a strong emphasis on the demand-side of populism and the use of country-specific survey data across the years. This book explores the determinants of support for populist presidents in four dimensions: demographic variables, ideological and policy-preference variables, performance variables, and variables related to representative democracy. Understanding what drives people to support populist leaders is critical for revitalizing representative democracy in Latin America. Furthermore, insights about the factors that lead citizens to support populism in Latin America can also inform the analysis of support for populism in other parts of the world.
1. Introduction: Populism, Citizens, and the Decline of Democracy in Contemporary Latin America
2. Populism and Democracy
3. Demographics and Support for Populism
4. Ideology and Policy Preferences and Support for Populism
5. Performance and Support for Populism
6. Representative Democracy and Support for Populism
7. What Drives People to Support Populists?
Appendix
Biography
Dinorah Azpuru is a Professor of Political Science at Wichita State University in Kansas, United States, where she has taught for 20 years in the areas of comparative politics, Latin American politics, Latin America-United States relations, and data analysis.
"Populism has deep historical roots in the Latin American experience. There are many studies of contemporary populist leaders in the region but what drives their electoral support? This book provides an excellent analysis of the demand-side factors underpinning the rise to power of populist presidencies in countries as diverse as Venezuela, Mexico and Nicaragua. The book covers an important phenomenon with implications well beyond the region.”
Pippa Norris, Harvard University
"Professor Azpuru has written an outstanding book that explains why people in Latin America support populism. Relying on surveys conducted in seven countries over the course of two decades, Azpuru identifies two types of supporters, the “convenience followers” and the “hardcore supporters.” This is a major contribution. Anyone interested in the persistent appeal of populism needs to read this book."
Julio F. Carrión, University of Delaware
"With the rise of populists in so many Latin American countries, understanding how they gain and maintain public support is an essential task. By bringing unprecedented public opinion resources to bear on support for eight populist presidents, Azpuru shows that while populists emerge through a variety of processes and with different electoral bases, support for incumbent populists has common underlying patterns. This book will be an important signpost for scholars interested in why populism endures in some countries and not others."
Matthew M. Singer, University of Connecticut
"Growing up in a Latin American authoritarian country, Professor Azpuru developed a lifelong interest in understanding why some citizens support authoritarian and populist leaders. Her interest led her to cover a gap, given that little empirical research has directly focused on the populist demand side in Latin America. The book shows that there is not a clear-cut profile of populist supporters and there is variation among time and countries, identifying the drivers of such variation. An essential reading."
Yanina Welp, Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, Geneva Graduate Institute
