TY - BOOK ID - 77900819 TI - Audacious reforms PY - 2000 SN - 0801877881 9780801877889 0801864208 9780801864209 0801864216 9780801864216 PB - Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press DB - UniCat KW - Local elections KW - Decentralization in government KW - Central-local government relations KW - Democracy KW - Political participation KW - Citizen participation KW - Community action KW - Community involvement KW - Community participation KW - Involvement, Community KW - Mass political behavior KW - Participation, Citizen KW - Participation, Community KW - Participation, Political KW - Political activity KW - Political behavior KW - Political rights KW - Social participation KW - Political activists KW - Politics, Practical KW - Self-government KW - Political science KW - Equality KW - Representative government and representation KW - Republics KW - Center-periphery government relations KW - Local-central government relations KW - Local government-central government relations KW - Federal government KW - Centralization in government KW - Devolution in government KW - Government centralization KW - Government decentralization KW - Government devolution KW - Local government KW - Public administration KW - County elections KW - Elections, County KW - Elections, Local KW - Elections, Municipal KW - Municipal elections KW - Election law KW - Elections KW - Law and legislation KW - Elections locales KW - Décentralisation administative KW - Relations gouvernement central-collectivités locales KW - Démocratie KW - Participation politique KW - Case studies. KW - Case studies KW - Cas, Etudes de KW - Etudes de cas UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:77900819 AB - Audacious Reforms examines the creation of new political institutions in three Latin American countries: direct elections for governors and mayors in Venezuela, radical municipalization in Bolivia, and direct election of the mayor of Buenos Aires in Argentina. Diverging from the usual incremental processes of political change, these cases marked a significant departure from traditional centralized governments. Such "audacious reforms," explains Merilee S. Grindle, reinvent the ways in which public problems are manifested and resolved, the ways in which political actors calculate the costs and benefits of their activities, and the ways in which social groups relate to the political process. Grindle considers three central questions: Why would rational politicians choose to give up power? What accounts for the selection of some institutions rather than others? And how does the introduction of new institutions alter the nature of political actions? The case studies of Venezuela, Bolivia, and Argentina demonstrate that institutional invention must be understood from theoretical perspectives that stretch beyond immediate concerns about electoral gains and political support building. Broader theoretical perspectives on the definition of nation and state, the nature of political contests, the legitimacy of political systems, and the role of elites all must be considered. While past conflicts are not erased by reforms, in the new order there is often greater potential for more responsible, accountable, and democratic government. ER -