国会研究服务部-拉丁美洲和加勒比的民主：精选指数汇编（英文）-2021.5-22页_1mb

Summary of Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Compilation of Selected Indices

Core Content

This report provides an overview of the political climate in Latin America and the Caribbean by analyzing data from multiple democracy indices, including the U.S. Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI), the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Democracy Index, Freedom House's Freedom in the World, and the Varieties of Democracy Institute's (V-Dem) Liberal Democracy Index. The goal is to offer a regional snapshot of democracy trends, highlighting variations in democratic status across different countries and regions.

Main Indices and Their Focus

• Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI): Evaluates the quality of democracy, market economy, and political management. It classifies countries into categories such as democracy in consolidation, defective democracy, and autocracy. BTI ranks all Central and South American countries, but only evaluates a few Caribbean nations.

• Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index: Classifies countries as full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes, or authoritarian regimes based on 60 indicators. The 2020 report shows a continued decline in the region's overall score, with some countries moving towards authoritarianism.

• Freedom House's Freedom in the World: Assesses political rights and civil liberties using 25 indicators. It classifies countries as free, partly free, or not free. The report highlights the decline of several countries and notes some improvements.

• Varieties of Democracy Institute (V-Dem) Liberal Democracy Index: Measures liberal and electoral aspects of democracy using 71 indicators. It categorizes countries into liberal democracy, electoral democracy, electoral autocracy, and closed autocracy.

Key Findings

Caribbean Region

• BTI: Only a few Caribbean countries are evaluated, and none are classified as highly defective democracies. The report notes that some countries have shown signs of backsliding, while others have demonstrated reversibility.
• EIU: The Caribbean region has a mixed status, with some countries classified as flawed democracies or hybrid regimes.
• Freedom House: Most Caribbean countries are rated as free or partly free, with notable declines in El Salvador and some improvements in Bolivia and Chile.
• V-Dem: Some Caribbean countries are categorized as electoral democracies, while others are classified as electoral autocracies.

Mexico and Central America

• BTI: Mexico is ranked 59th with a defective democracy status. El Salvador is ranked 30th with a defective democracy status, while Guatemala and Honduras are classified as moderate autocracies.
• EIU: Mexico is ranked 72nd with a flawed democracy status. El Salvador is ranked 77th as a hybrid regime, and Guatemala is ranked 97th as a hybrid regime.
• Freedom House: Mexico is rated partly free, with a score of 61. El Salvador is rated partly free, while Nicaragua is rated not free.
• V-Dem: Mexico is classified as an electoral democracy, while Nicaragua is an electoral autocracy.

South America

• BTI: Argentina is ranked 16th with a democracy in consolidation status. Bolivia is ranked 41st with a defective democracy status. Brazil is ranked 26th with a defective democracy status.
• EIU: Chile is ranked 17th as a full democracy, while Venezuela is ranked 143rd as an authoritarian regime.
• Freedom House: Chile is rated free, while Venezuela is rated not free. Bolivia and Peru are rated partly free.
• V-Dem: Ecuador and Bolivia have moved towards autocracy, while Chile and Uruguay are classified as electoral democracies.

Regional Trends

• Decline in Democracy: Several countries in the region, such as Venezuela, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, have experienced significant declines in democratic status.
• Improvements in Democracy: Some countries, like Bolivia and Chile, have shown improvements in their democratic status according to certain indices.
• Variability in Rankings: The rankings from different indices are not always consistent, as each index uses a unique methodology and focuses on different aspects of democracy.
• Authoritarian Regimes: Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela are classified as authoritarian regimes by the EIU. Nicaragua is also classified as an electoral autocracy by V-Dem.

Conclusion

The report illustrates that the region is experiencing a mix of democratic stability, decline, and partial improvements. The U.S. State Department's data is used for comparison, and the findings are based on the methodologies of various NGOs. It highlights the importance of understanding the different definitions and criteria used by these indices to interpret the political climate accurately.