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Description from Johns Hopkins University Press (order it here!) :

We live in an increasingly federalized world. This fact has generated interest in how federal institutions shape politics, policy-making, and the quality of life of those living in federal systems. In Federalism and Democracy in Latin America, Edward L. Gibson brings together a distinguished group of scholars to examine the Latin American experience with federalism and to advance our theoretical understanding of politics in federal systems. By means of theoretical essays and case studies, the authors address questions of how and when federal institutions matter for politics, policy-making, and democratic practice. They also offer conceptual approaches for studying federal systems, their origins, and their internal dynamics. Federalism and Democracy in Latin America provides case studies on the four existing federal systems in Latin America–Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela–and their experiences in dealing with a variety of issues, including federal system formation, democratization, electoral representation, and economic reform. Contributors: Edward L. Gibson, Northwestern University; Alfred Stepan, Columbia University; Scott Mainwaring, University of Notre Dame; Ernesto Calvo, University of Houston; Alberto Diaz Cayeros, Stanford University; Tulia Gabriela Falleti, University of Pennsylvania; Enrique Ochoa Reza, Columbia University; Michael Penfold-Becerra, Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración, Venezuela; David J. Samuels, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Richard Snyder, Brown University.

Some Reviews:

"Federalism and Democracy in Latin America is a strong contribution to a debate that is likely to become central in comparative politics and for students of democracy and political institutions. It includes contributions by some of the most prominent figures in the field and offers a nice balance of theoretical and broadly comparative analyses."—Gerardo Munck, School of International Studies, University of Southern California

"Federalism and Democracy in Latin America is an excellent volume that will form the basis for scores of additional studies of federalism in comparative perspective, and not just in Latin America... This volume will open more doors to future work
designed to bring this growing and significant field of study into clearer, comparative perspective."--Al Montero, review in Publius: The Journal of Federalism.

"The ten original essays in this edited volume challenge conventional answers to these questions with fresh insights into federalism as practised in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela. Through innovative theory, informative case studies, and rich comparative analysis these essays set an exciting research agenda for the study of comparative federalism in Latin America."--Eliza Willis, review in Journal of Latin American Studies.

"Gibson's book is a welcome contribution that deals with issues like federal design, center-periphery relations, levels of government, and regional actors...Particularly useful is the first chapter by Edward L. Gibson, in which he outlines the theoretical issues that the book seeks to explore. Gibson asks, "does federalism matter?," and proceeds to deal with the
broad theoretical issues."--Jan Erk, review in Comparative Politics.

"All chapters in this book are well written and argued, and should influence debates . . . It is highly recommended."—Alan Trench, Political Studies Review

"Provides very good case studies of each country with a federalist government structure."—Robert H. Wilson, Latin American Research Review

Description from Johns Hopkins University Press (order here!):

What promotes or hinders the development of conservative parties in Latin America? What does this augur for the stable representation of the propertied and socially privileged in political parties? In Class and Conservative Parties, Edward L. Gibson examines these questions in light of Latin America's long legacies of authoritarianism and democratic instability. Gibson explores these questions theoretically, historically and comparatively. He develops an approach to the comparative study of conservative parties that sheds new theoretical light on the social dynamics of party politics. Historically, he traces the determinants of conservative party development in Argentina, providing a rich analysis of how interactions between conservatism's elite "core constituencies," party leaders, and the state shaped the rise and fall of conservative parties in the 19th and 20th centuries. Gibson also presents a comparative examination of conservative party politics in Latin America during the 1980s and 1990s and offers a thoughtful look ahead to conservatism's future in the region.

Some Reviews

"Goes far beyond the Argentine case and provides us with an insightful, theoretically challenging contribution to the comparative study of conservative parties."—Journal of Latin American Studies

"The theoretical framework raises relevant questions for democracies everywhere."—Journal of Politics

"Gibson's book works at multiple levels. This is something of a tour de force."—Rebecca Scott, University of Michigan

"Gibson has written an original, well-paced book, filled with keen and often paradoxical insights into the dilemmas faced by the parties that cater to socioeconomic elites. Scholars or graduate students who research political parties, the role of elites in Latin American democracies, or Argentine politics will all profit from studying this book."--Nancy Powers, Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs.

"Gibson should be congratulated not only for providing a thorough assessment of the role that conservative thought and political parties play in Latin American regimes, but also for uncovering the critical contribution that those parties played and continue to play in the current Latin American democratic systems."--Michael Francesco Alioto, Perspectives on Political Science.

"A first-rate book. It makes a number of contributions to the study of Argentine politics and to comparative work on Latin America. It offers fresh historical perspective on the failure of democracy to take root in Argentina, and provides important new material on the challenges faced by conservative politicians in aggregating diverse sectors of their 'core constituency' while reorienting their political activity toward electoral politics. It is written in a way that will be of considerable interest to comparativists."—Robert Kaufman, Rutgers University

Edward L. Gibson \| Department of Political Science, Northwestern University
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Edward L. Gibson: Selected Publications

This web page is still under construction, so not all my publications are posted for downloading. If you are interested in receiving a publication listed on my c.v. that is not posted here, please contact me at egibson@northwestern.edu

Articles: “Boundary Control: Subnational Authoritarianism in Democratic Countries,” World Politics 58, October 2005 (actually published August 2006). "Federalism and Low-Maintenance Constituencies: Territorial Dimensions of Economic Reform in Argentina," (with Ernesto Calvo) Studies in Comparative International Development 35:3 (Winter 2001). "The Populist Road to Market Reform: Policy and Electoral Coalitions in Mexico and Argentina," World Politics 49, no. 3 (April 1997). "Conservative Party Politics in Latin America: Patterns of Electoral Mobilization in the 1980s and 1990s," in Jorge I. Dominguez and Abraham Lowenthal, Editors, Constructing Democratic Governance: Latin America and the Caribbean--Themes and Issues. Johns Hopkins University Press (1996). "Conservative Electoral Movements and Democratic Politics: Core Constituencies, Coalition-Building, and the Latin American Electoral Right." In Douglas Chalmers, Maria Campello de Souza, and Atilio Boron, Editors. New York: Praeger Publishers (1992). For selected articles from my 2004 edited volume, Federalism and Democracy in Latin America, see below.
Books: Federalism and Democracy in Latin America, Edward L. Gibson, Editor. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004.
Buy this book!!!! Table of Contents	Description from Johns Hopkins University Press (order it here!) : We live in an increasingly federalized world. This fact has generated interest in how federal institutions shape politics, policy-making, and the quality of life of those living in federal systems. In Federalism and Democracy in Latin America, Edward L. Gibson brings together a distinguished group of scholars to examine the Latin American experience with federalism and to advance our theoretical understanding of politics in federal systems. By means of theoretical essays and case studies, the authors address questions of how and when federal institutions matter for politics, policy-making, and democratic practice. They also offer conceptual approaches for studying federal systems, their origins, and their internal dynamics. Federalism and Democracy in Latin America provides case studies on the four existing federal systems in Latin America–Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela–and their experiences in dealing with a variety of issues, including federal system formation, democratization, electoral representation, and economic reform. Contributors: Edward L. Gibson, Northwestern University; Alfred Stepan, Columbia University; Scott Mainwaring, University of Notre Dame; Ernesto Calvo, University of Houston; Alberto Diaz Cayeros, Stanford University; Tulia Gabriela Falleti, University of Pennsylvania; Enrique Ochoa Reza, Columbia University; Michael Penfold-Becerra, Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración, Venezuela; David J. Samuels, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Richard Snyder, Brown University. Some Reviews: "Federalism and Democracy in Latin America is a strong contribution to a debate that is likely to become central in comparative politics and for students of democracy and political institutions. It includes contributions by some of the most prominent figures in the field and offers a nice balance of theoretical and broadly comparative analyses."—Gerardo Munck, School of International Studies, University of Southern California "Federalism and Democracy in Latin America is an excellent volume that will form the basis for scores of additional studies of federalism in comparative perspective, and not just in Latin America... This volume will open more doors to future work designed to bring this growing and significant field of study into clearer, comparative perspective."--Al Montero, review in Publius: The Journal of Federalism. "The ten original essays in this edited volume challenge conventional answers to these questions with fresh insights into federalism as practised in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela. Through innovative theory, informative case studies, and rich comparative analysis these essays set an exciting research agenda for the study of comparative federalism in Latin America."--Eliza Willis, review in Journal of Latin American Studies. "Gibson's book is a welcome contribution that deals with issues like federal design, center-periphery relations, levels of government, and regional actors...Particularly useful is the first chapter by Edward L. Gibson, in which he outlines the theoretical issues that the book seeks to explore. Gibson asks, "does federalism matter?," and proceeds to deal with the broad theoretical issues."--Jan Erk, review in Comparative Politics. "All chapters in this book are well written and argued, and should influence debates . . . It is highly recommended."—Alan Trench, Political Studies Review "Provides very good case studies of each country with a federalist government structure."—Robert H. Wilson, Latin American Research Review
For the full table of contents of Federalism and Democracy in Latin America click here. Below are my contributions to the volume that you can download as pdf documents. For the contributions by the other authors, buy the book!! “Federalism and Democracy: Theoretical Connections and Cautionary Insights.” In Edward L. Gibson, ed., Federalism and Democracy in Latin America, Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press (2004). "Unity by the Stick: Regional Conflict and the Origins of Federalism" (With Tulia Falleti). In Edward L. Gibson, ed., Federalism and Democracy in Latin America, Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press (2004). "Reallocative Federalism: Territorial Overrepresentation and Public Spending in the Western Hemisphere" (with Ernesto Calvo and Tulia Falleti). In Edward L. Gibson, ed., Federalism and Democracy in Latin America, Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press (2004). Back to top
Class and Conservative Parties: Argentina in Comparative Perspective. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996.

	Description from Johns Hopkins University Press (order here!): What promotes or hinders the development of conservative parties in Latin America? What does this augur for the stable representation of the propertied and socially privileged in political parties? In Class and Conservative Parties, Edward L. Gibson examines these questions in light of Latin America's long legacies of authoritarianism and democratic instability. Gibson explores these questions theoretically, historically and comparatively. He develops an approach to the comparative study of conservative parties that sheds new theoretical light on the social dynamics of party politics. Historically, he traces the determinants of conservative party development in Argentina, providing a rich analysis of how interactions between conservatism's elite "core constituencies," party leaders, and the state shaped the rise and fall of conservative parties in the 19th and 20th centuries. Gibson also presents a comparative examination of conservative party politics in Latin America during the 1980s and 1990s and offers a thoughtful look ahead to conservatism's future in the region. Some Reviews "Goes far beyond the Argentine case and provides us with an insightful, theoretically challenging contribution to the comparative study of conservative parties."—Journal of Latin American Studies "The theoretical framework raises relevant questions for democracies everywhere."—Journal of Politics "Gibson's book works at multiple levels. This is something of a tour de force."—Rebecca Scott, University of Michigan "Gibson has written an original, well-paced book, filled with keen and often paradoxical insights into the dilemmas faced by the parties that cater to socioeconomic elites. Scholars or graduate students who research political parties, the role of elites in Latin American democracies, or Argentine politics will all profit from studying this book."--Nancy Powers, Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs. "Gibson should be congratulated not only for providing a thorough assessment of the role that conservative thought and political parties play in Latin American regimes, but also for uncovering the critical contribution that those parties played and continue to play in the current Latin American democratic systems."--Michael Francesco Alioto, Perspectives on Political Science. "A first-rate book. It makes a number of contributions to the study of Argentine politics and to comparative work on Latin America. It offers fresh historical perspective on the failure of democracy to take root in Argentina, and provides important new material on the challenges faced by conservative politicians in aggregating diverse sectors of their 'core constituency' while reorienting their political activity toward electoral politics. It is written in a way that will be of considerable interest to comparativists."—Robert Kaufman, Rutgers University
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