THE DYNAMIC DIVERSITY OF LATIN-AMERICAN PARTY SYSTEMS

Most Latin American party systems change so often and in so many respe cts that the 'typical' party system of each country can be described o nly in imprecise terms, if at all. However, the nature of party system s as they are defined in individual elections can be described in rich and fairly reliable detail. This article compares the party systems o f 20th-century Latin America election by election through indicators o f fragmentation, volatility, personalism, ideological clarity, mean le ft-right tendency and polarization. The data cover approximately 150 l ower or single-house legislative elections in 20th-century Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, U ruguay and Venezuela.