The Struggle for Democratic Politics in the Dominican Republic / Edition 1

by Jonathan Hartlyn

Overview

Over the past several decades, the Dominican Republic has
experienced striking political stagnation in spite of dramatic
socioeconomic transformations. In this work, Jonathan Hartlyn
offers a new explanation for the country's political evolution,
based on a broad comparative perspective.
Hartlyn rejects cultural explanations unduly focused on
legacies from the Spanish colonial era and structural
explanations excessively centered on the lack of national
autonomy. Instead, he highlights the independent impact of
political and institutional factors and historical legacies,
while also considering changes in Dominican society and the
influence of the United States and other international forces.
In particular, Hartlyn examines how the Dominican Republic's
tragic nineteenth-century history established a legacy of
neopatrimonialism, a form of rule that found extreme expression
in the brutal dictator Rafael Trujillo and has continued to shape
politics down to the present. By examining economic policymaking
and often conflictual elections, Hartlyn also analyzes the missed
opportunity for democracy during the rule of the Dominican
Revolutionary Party and the democratic tensions of the
administrations of Joaquin Balaguer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807847077
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	06/15/1998
Series:	H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman Series
Edition description:	1
Pages:	396
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.88(d)

About the Author

Jonathan Hartlyn is professor of political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has been a member of several international election observation teams invited to the Dominican Republic, including those led by former president Jimmy Carter in 1990 and 1996.

Table of Contents

Contents

Preface
Abbreviations
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Historical Pathways: Neopatrimonial Authoritarianism and International Vulnerability
Chapter 3. Democratic Struggles and Failures, 1961-1966
Chapter 4. Authoritarian Balaguer and Democratic Transition, 1966-1978
Chapter 5. The Struggle for Democratic Politics, 1978-1996: Social Evolution and Political Rules
Chapter 6. The PRD in Power, 1978-1986: A Missed Opportunity
Chapter 7. Balaguer Returns, 1986-1996: The Tensions of Neopatrimonial Democracy
Chapter 8. Parties, State Institutions, and Elections, 1978-1994
Chapter 9. A New Transition: Prospects and Conclusions

Appendix A. Election Results by Level of Urbanization, 1962-1994
Appendix B. Socioeconomic and Public-Sector Data
Notes
References
Index

Tables
2.1. Growth of the Armed Forces under Trujillo
2.2. Paths toward Neopatrimonialism
3.1. Transitions from Authoritarianism in Vulnerable States: Critical Factors Favoring Transition
3.2. Selected Economic Indicators, 1950-1961
3.3. Government and Security Expenditures, 1955-1964
3.4. The Transition of 1961-1962
3.5. The Transition of 1965-1966
4.1. Public Investments in Construction and the Office of the Presidency, 1969-1977
4.2. Ministries and Minister-Rank Appointments by Administration, 1930-1982
4.3. Comparing Three Transitions, 1961-1962, 1965-1966, and 1978
5.1. Levels of Poverty in the Dominican Republic and Latin America
5.2. Senate Reelection Rates by Party, 1970-1998
5.3. Chamber Reelection Rates for the Same Province by Party, 1970-1998
7.1. Public-Sector Expenditures, 1986-1995
8.1. Official Results for Presidential Elections, 1978-1994
8.2. Factors Favoring Crisis-Ridden Elections
8.3. Crisis-Ridden Elections, 1982-1994
9.1. Official Results for the 1996 Presidential Elections
9.2. Comparing Transitions, 1978 and 1994-1996
A.1. Election Results at the Municipal Level by Party and Level of Urbanization, 1962-1994
B.1. Comparative Socioeconomic Data
B.2. Selected Economic Indicators, 1976-1986
B.3. Selected Economic Indicators, 1986-1993
B.4. Selected Public-Sector Indicators, 1976-1986
B.5. The Public Sector under Balaguer, 1986-1994

Figure
B.1. Dominican Peso-U.S. Dollar Exchange Rate, 1982-1995

Illustrations
Map of the Dominican Republic 2
Rafael Trujillo and Joaquín Balaguer, 1961
President Juan Bosch, 1963
President Joaquín Balaguer, 1966
Women sewing baseballs at an export processing firm
President S. Antonio Guzmán, 1978
Arrests during violent protest, 1984
President Salvador Jorge Blanco and José Francisco Peña Gómez, 1986
Jacobo Majluta and Josí Francisco Peña Gómez in the PRD campaign, 1986
Dominicans waiting to vote, 1990
PRD senator Milagros Ortiz Bosch, 1995
Entrance to the Junta Central Electoral, 1990
Banner appealing for domestic electoral observers, 1996
Joaquín Balaguer, Juan Bosch, and Leonel Fernández, 1996

Photograph of banner appealing for electoral observers by the author; all other photographs courtesy of Diario El Caribe.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Fascinating reading for anyone interested in Latin American political development in the late twentieth century.—European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies



An exhaustive record of recent Dominican politics, characterized by incisive analyses and direct prose.—Journal of International Studies and World Affairs



The definitive study of Dominican politics."American Political Science Review



Informative and theoretically rich . . . the book is well written and welcome for the way in which it deals with the complex nature of Dominican political history, and will provide a useful tool in understanding both Dominican politics and the importance that political-institutional factors have on regime transitions.—E.I.A.L.



A colorful and insightful portrait of Dominican politics.—Choice



This is a well-written, informative, and theoretically sound book that will become an indispensable source for anyone interested in understanding Dominican politics. It is a compelling account of the obstacles and opportunities for democratic consolidation in the post-Trujillo period.—Rosario Espinal, Temple University



One of the most insightful works available on Dominican politics in comparative perspective. The author brings an informed theoretical acumen to bear on the sometimes complex Dominican case. In addition, his skillful use of comparisons with other Latin American societies moves this study well beyond the limitations of one country's political experience.—Christopher Mitchell, New York University

Editorial Reviews

ÝW¨ell written and welcome for the way in which it deals with the complex nature of Dominican political history.

"E.I.A.L."

An exhaustive record of recent Dominican politics, characterized by incisive analyses and direct prose.

"Journal of International Studies and World Affairs"

"An exhaustive record of recent Dominican politics, characterized by incisive analyses and direct prose.

"Journal of International Studies and World Affairs""

[W]ell written and welcome for the way in which it deals with the complex nature of Dominican political history.

"E.I.A.L."

A colorful and insightful portrait of Dominican politics.

"Choice"

Fascinating reading for anyone interested in Latin American political development in the late twentieth century.

"European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies"

The definitive study of Dominican politics.

"American Political Science Review"

From the Publisher