Democratic Representation under Stress: Evidence from Chile

David Altman is Professor of Political Science at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. His research and teaching are in the field of comparative politics, with emphasis on democracy: its quality, its institutions and its innovations. He focuses particularly on the mechanisms of direct democracy and his current research studies the political consequences of citizen participation through popular initiatives and referendums. His works have been published in specialized magazines in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Rossana Castiglioni is a professor at Universidad Diego Portales in Chile. Her main research areas are comparative social policy, democracy, quality of democracy and institutions and Latin American comparative politics.

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“Cuoteo” and “democracia de los acuerdos” were key informal institutions to achieve stability and consolidate democracy in Chile. Similarly, the autonomy of some policy making institutions (particularly in the economic sphere) is important for economic stability and avoidance of populist policies. Both have been positive factors, yes there may be a price to pay in other areas.