The Search for Governability in Latin America

 
Governability is a concept developed in the 1970s in the United States and Europe to express the difficulties states face in responding to the demands of different sectors of society, and the impossibility of formulating policies based on those demands. But according to Daniel Pecaut, a professor at the School of Advanced Social Sciences in Paris, the concept of governability has changed over the decades. "Most of the world's governments are experiencing limited spheres of action," he says. "At the same time, the type of political representation that used to work in many societies-including Europe-no longer functions the same way, partly because people don't have the same confidence that politics can resolve their problems."

Pecaut identifies two basic elements of governability today: the ability of governments to respond efficiently and legitimately to the interests of the majority; and the fact that societies have self-organizing capabilities that further their cohesion. In Latin America, political analyst Jorge Hernán Cárdenas argues, governability involves new forms of political, economic and social organization that allow the state to respond to the challenges of urbanization, changing individual and collective values, and the presence of new social demands and expectations that surpass the limits of traditional institutions.

If governability is understood as a prerequisite for stable democracy, Latin America is a paradox. The question there is instead whether the "wave of democracy" of the last decades will lead in turn to governability. Some analysts fear that the general trend is not toward the consolidation of democracy but rather democracy on the surface only, a mere façade lacking real political content.

These concerns take into account the state of Latin America's democratic institutions. "An uninstitutionalized state is not a real state, and without democratic institutions a state cannot be democratic," claimed Luis Carlos Galán, a Liberal Colombian politician. Georgetown University Professor Marc Chernick adds that the great challenge for Latin America's democratic institutions is to reflect the region's diversity. A positive development, he notes, is the recognition in most countries of collective as well as individual rights.

Any analysis of governability and democracy must also take into account channels for participation. Political consultant Peter Schroeder argues that changes to constitutions, political parties and electoral systems-while necessary-are not sufficient to promote citizen participation in Latin America. He advocates political education and the creation of a functioning civil society to generate the conditions for participation and control over governments. "Political development cannot be imposed, nor bought," Schroeder points out. "It must arise from the culture itself, or it will never prosper."

While he agrees with this argument, Jonathan Hartlyn adds that the various governments of Latin America must respond to different historical realities within their own countries. He cautions against treating the region as a homogenous unit, "because the tasks involved in democratization are many and cannot be reduced to a single formula applicable to all."

Governability is an ongoing challenge for Latin America. A point in the region's favor is the political agenda being negotiated in the Summit of the Americas process, which emphasizes the consolidation and strengthening of democratic values. Latin America can take the lead in introducing new proposals that offer real potential for attaining governability. One of the most basic priorities, and one that is appropriate for all of the countries of the region, is deepening the level of democracy in their societies.