INSTITUTIONAL CONFIDENCE AND DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATION IN LATIN-AMERICA

Citizen confidence in the institutions of their nations is critical to democratic consolidation in Latin America. The data provided by the L atinobarometro survey in 1995 mark the beginning of significant empiri cal investigation in this realm. While longitudinal comparisons are no t yet possible, institutional confidence for the major countries as of 1995 can be probed. This study considers three levels of generality: the comparative study of institutions in the region; patterns of confi dence related to political culture; and the degree of political learni ng derived from the repressive dictatorships of the 1970s and 1980s.