by PublicABCP
Translated and reviewed by Matheus Lucas Hebling
Published in the journal Lua Nova, the article “Democratic Resilience in Latin America: Analyzing Crises and How They Are Overcome,” by Hugo Borsani (UENF), Soraia Marcelino Vieira (UFF), and Mariele Troiano (UFF), investigates how Latin American democracies have responded to successive institutional, political, and social crises in recent decades. The authors argue that many countries in the region display significant signs of democratic resilience — understood not as the absence of crisis, but as the capacity to confront it through institutional mechanisms and democratic practices.
The study seeks to understand how different Latin American democracies have handled critical junctures, identifying the factors that explain their ability to preserve democratic principles under adverse conditions. To this end, the authors propose a categorization of countries into three groups: those that demonstrated institutional resilience, those that remain at risk, and those undergoing processes of democratic breakdown.
The analysis draws on theoretical frameworks from political science and incorporates analytical categories such as “democratic resilience,” “risks to democracy,” and “institutional responses to crisis,” constructing a comparative framework across different regional trajectories.
The analysis shows that overcoming democratic crises in Latin America involves both the action of formal institutions — such as the judiciary, legislatures, and oversight bodies — and the mobilization of civil society through movements, networks, and citizen-led initiatives. In countries deemed resilient, these forces coordinated to contain setbacks and sustain pressure for legality, transparency, and inclusion.
Despite national differences, the study identifies similar patterns: the presence of institutions that maintain a degree of autonomy and of organized societies that exert legitimate pressure increases the chances of preserving democratic functioning in the face of adverse conditions.
Conversely, in countries classified as at risk or showing signs of breakdown, the study observes the weakening of oversight institutions, the delegitimization of electoral processes, and restrictions on civil society activity — factors that hinder or prevent democratic responses to crises.
For the authors, democratic resilience does not mean stability or the absence of conflict, but rather the capacity to confront crises through legitimate and democratic mechanisms. This approach shifts the analytical lens away from the idea of “institutional normalcy” toward an observation of how political systems respond to challenges. The analysis of Latin American cases reveals that, even in scenarios of instability, resilience can emerge when there is institutional learning, public trust in democratic rules, and openness to social participation.
By examining the paths taken by different Latin American countries in the face of political and institutional crises, the study contributes to a broader understanding of the limits and possibilities of democracy in the region. The notion of resilience adopted by the authors shifts the focus from formal stability to the capacity to respond to threats on the basis of democratic rules and the mobilization of institutional and social actors.
More than celebrating isolated instances of resistance, the research offers analytical tools for identifying patterns, assessing risks, and recognizing practices that help sustain democratic life even in contexts of tension and regression.
Author Profiles
Hugo Borsani is a tenured professor at the Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF — Darcy Ribeiro State University of Northern Rio de Janeiro) and a member of the faculty of its Graduate Program in Political Sociology.
Soraia Marcelino Vieira is an associate professor at the Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF — Fluminense Federal University), affiliated with the Department of Geography and Public Policy and the Graduate Program in Political Science at UFF.
Mariele Troiano is an associate professor at the Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF) in Political Science and a researcher affiliated with the Centro de Estudos de Cultura Contemporânea (CEDEC — Center for the Study of Contemporary Culture).
PUBLICATION DETAILS
Title: Democratic Resilience in Latin America: Analyzing Crises and How They Are Overcome
Authors: Hugo Borsani, Soraia Marcelino Vieira, and Mariele Troiano
Year of Publication: 2024
Available in: Lua Nova: Revista de Cultura e Política, Issue 123
