LAC Main Seminar Series: Democratic Support and Democratic Outcomes in Brazil, 1989-2021: A Multi-Method Approach

Convener: Professor David Doyle

Speaker: Ryan Carlin (Georgia State University)

 

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Democracies require, among other things, mass support to thrive. While this axiomatic statement may have originated with ancient Greek philosophers, convincing evidence of its validity has proved elusive to contemporary scholars. This study seeks revisits this argument by drawing on multiple methods over the course of Brazil’s most recent democratic period. Namely, it combines rolling cross-sections of democratic support clusters based on the Americas Barometer with a novel macro-opinion measure of democratic mood. To connect these attitudinal measures with democratic outcomes, this study employ process tracing and quantitative techniques. Results broadly confirm the hypothesized relationship between democratic support and democratic outcomes, but highlight new theoretical wrinkles and key areas for future exploration.