Indice de Desarrollo Democrático de América Latina

IDD-Lat 2009 - ENGLISH BRIEFING

It is necessary and important, both for the leaders and the society, to assess the progress and the steps backwards that Latin American countries show in their democratic development, because democracy is an endless path, and many times we the citizens are lost in it, without references indicating whether and how much we have moved forward or backwards.

We make our contribution by presenting our annual report Latin America Democratic Development Index IDD-Lat 2009, through which –for the seventh consecutive year- Polilat.com and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation analyse and evaluate the behaviour of societies, leaders, and institutions of democracy in 18 different countries of the continent.

Regional Democratic Development Tendencies

In average, the region performance has experienced a slight improvement (around 1%); however, the contrast between steps backwards and forward comparative with the prior year has significant variations among the countries.

A scarce number of countries remain at the high democratic development level. Only Chile, Costa Rica, and Uruguay (17% of the total number of countries evaluated) reach said level, thereby repeating the constant of the last seven years.

Only seven countries exceed the regional average of IDD-Lat (5.113) – those mentioned for their high development levels (Chile, Costa Rica, and Uruguay), and Panama, Mexico, Argentina, and Perú.

This map shows the zones where the Democratic Development Index improved in the region. The table below indicates the tendency of the 18 countries of Latin America from 2002 to the date[1]

EVOLUTION OF THE LAST SEVEN YEARS

País	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Argentina	5,247	3,900	3,918	4,337	5,330	6,123	5,731	5,852
Bolivia	4,150	2,883	3,343	3,528	2,726	3,281	2,843	2,593
Brasil	3,932	5,028	3,348	3,820	4,468	4,582	4,520	4,514
Colombia	5,254	4,218	3,054	2,993	4,362	4,778	4,660	4,053
Costa Rica	8,575	7,847	8,633	8,510	9,704	9,706	10,321	9,696
Chile	8,757	10,031	10,242	10,435	10,796	10,360	9,670	10,000
Ecuador	1,694	2,376	3,122	3,658	2,237	3,206	2,521	3,484
El Salvador	5,544	6,273	4,452	5,053	4,718	3,967	4,184	3,490
Guatemala	3,992	2,928	3,884	1,648	3,834	3,502	3,444	3,284
Honduras	3,107	4,098	4,142	4,332	4,431	4,780	4,408	3,859
México	6,340	6,623	6,136	5,522	5,917	5,566	6,135	6,490
Nicaragua	2,963	4,230	3,614	4,032	3,151	2,730	3,860	3,795
Panamá	8,309	8,028	6,914	6,918	6,828	6,452	6,503	7,191
Paraguay	2,255	3,214	1,689	4,493	3,745	3,880	3,861	3,860
Perú	4,352	3,602	3,688	3,126	3,590	4,107	5,020	5,587
R. Dominicana			4,631	3,823	4,187	2,900	3,577	3,677
Uruguay	9,736	9,766	7,517	8,355	8,397	9,384	8,717	9,262
Venezuela	2,243	2,811	1,552	2,581	2,720	2,848	3,258	3,591
Promedio	4,803	4,881	4,660	4,842	5,063	5,120	5,180	5,238

Development Analysis

We may divide the countries analysed in the IDD-Lat in countries with “high” development, i.e. from 7.51 to 10.0 points; with “middle” development (from 4.51 to 7.50); and with “low” development (from 1.0 to 4.5)

In the first group we find only Chile, Costa Rica, and Uruguay. In the second group are Panama, Mexico, Argentina, Peru and Brazil – five countries, which represent 28% of the region.

Colombia, Paraguay, Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala and Bolivia belong to the third group and total 56% of the region.

[1] The size and boundaries of the countries are only indicative and do not reflect the reality.

Data Tables and Adjustments of IDD-Lat’s Dimensions [1]

Summary of Dimensions and Calculation of IDD-LAT 2007

Country	Dimension II Index	Dimension III Index	Social Data Index	Economic Data Index	IDD-LAT 2009
Argentina	7,273	3,255	1,007	0,232	5,852
Bolivia	4,963	2,861	-0,699	-1,912	2,593
Brasil	4,605	4,039	0,333	0,100	4,514
Colombia	3,934	4,516	-0,264	-0,038	4,053
Costa Rica	8,817	7,821	2,584	0,275	9,696
Chile	8,965	8,140	1,693	1,309	10,000
Ecuador	4,141	4,193	-1,047	-0,282	3,484
El Salvador	3,749	4,125	-0,446	-0,409	3,490
Guatemala	3,122	4,173	-0,717	0,025	3,284
Honduras	4,808	3,894	-0,326	-0,616	3,859
México	5,195	4,702	1,012	2,140	6,490
Nicaragua	4,916	4,480	-0,653	-1,112	3,795
Panamá	6,368	7,408	0,521	0,162	7,191
Paraguay	4,287	5,057	-0,745	-0,838	3,860
Perú	5,334	6,631	-0,874	0,142	5,587
R. Dominicana	5,267	4,783	-1,497	-1,159	3,677
Uruguay	8,797	8,591	0,756	0,479	9,262
Venezuela	2,818	3,206	-0,305	1,502	3,591

Dimension II Index - Political Rights and Civil Liberties

Ranking Evolution 2002 - 2009

Country		Index	Country	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
1º	Chile	8,965	Argentina	5,455	4,806	5,275	4,560	5,252	5,673	6,162	7,273
2º	Costa Rica	8,817	Bolivia	6,216	4,414	3,993	3,861	4,455	4,464	4,599	4,963
3º	Uruguay	8,797	Brasil	3,791	4,291	3,883	4,010	4,494	4,548	4,613	4,605
4º	Argentina	7,273	Colombia	5,465	3,636	3,582	2,523	3,970	4,376	3,862	3,934
5º	Panamá	6,368	Costa Rica	8,146	7,732	7,151	6,175	7,717	7,879	7,903	8,817
6º	Perú	5,334	Chile	5,061	7,382	8,894	8,217	8,386	8,757	9,147	8,965
7º	R. Dominicana	5,267	Ecuador	4,311	4,108	3,154	3,138	3,250	3,900	4,007	4,141
8º	México	5,195	El Salvador	4,850	5,040	3,889	3,743	4,646	3,804	3,445	3,749
9º	Bolivia	4,963	Guatemala	3,366	2,992	2,406	2,414	3,192	3,391	3,250	3,122
10º	Nicaragua	4,916	Honduras	4,789	5,788	4,682	4,719	4,682	4,579	4,624	4,808
11º	Honduras	4,808	México	4,897	5,326	4,708	3,452	4,162	4,511	4,663	5,195
12º	Brasil	4,605	Nicaragua	4,054	5,232	4,958	4,441	4,634	4,476	4,519	4,916
13º	Paraguay	4,287	Panamá	7,594	7,558	4,320	5,714	6,125	6,327	6,062	6,368
14º	Ecuador	4,141	Paraguay	3,779	3,572	3,543	3,979	4,049	4,039	3,627	4,287
15º	Colombia	3,934	Perú	6,701	4,606	3,832	3,582	3,737	5,030	5,367	5,334
16º	El Salvador	3,749	R. Dominicana			4,625	3,783	4,554	4,301	4,594	5,267
17º	Guatemala	3,122	Uruguay	8,112	7,904	6,734	7,000	7,106	8,177	8,127	8,797
18º	Venezuela	2,818	Venezuela	3,129	4,088	3,033	3,068	2,894	2,929	3,013	2,818

R. Dominicana: Country evaluated from 2004

Dimension III Index - Institutional Quality and Political Efficiency

Country		Index	Country	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
1º	Uruguay	8,591	Argentina	2,950	1,370	3,231	3,459	3,709	4,793	3,165	3,255
2º	Chile	8,140	Bolivia	3,030	3,087	2,446	4,734	2,981	3,498	3,055	2,861
3º	Costa Rica	7,821	Brasil	3,830	5,083	3,904	3,720	4,553	4,387	3,561	4,039
4º	Panamá	7,408	Colombia	5,640	5,575	4,335	3,642	5,120	5,793	5,636	4,516
5º	Perú	6,631	Costa Rica	6,500	5,250	6,740	6,337	7,737	7,593	8,325	7,821
6º	Paraguay	5,057	Chile	10,000	10,000	9,167	8,644	9,316	8,281	7,094	8,140
7º	R. Dominicana	4,783	Ecuador	2,710	3,587	5,035	5,759	2,900	3,708	3,345	4,193
8º	México	4,702	El Salvador	6,200	7,383	6,829	6,750	5,743	5,009	5,564	4,125
9º	Colombia	4,516	Guatemala	5,960	3,667	3,301	2,349	4,761	3,880	4,770	4,173
10º	Nicaragua	4,480	Honduras	4,340	4,650	5,447	5,343	5,485	5,693	5,467	3,894
11º	Ecuador	4,193	México	5,600	5,575	6,269	4,860	5,606	4,217	5,469	4,702
12º	Guatemala	4,173	Nicaragua	4,550	5,833	5,467	5,199	3,579	3,290	4,629	4,480
13º	El Salvador	4,125	Panamá	8,100	7,875	8,750	7,816	6,557	6,793	7,176	7,408
14º	Brasil	4,039	Paraguay	1,470	3,953	6,276	5,843	5,413	5,130	5,628	5,057
15º	Honduras	3,894	Perú	3,070	3,833	3,617	3,449	4,346	4,615	5,962	6,631
16º	Argentina	3,255	R. Dominicana[i]			5,004	4,547	6,002	4,598	4,645	4,783
17º	Venezuela	3,206	Uruguay	7,950	7,950	7,367	7,075	8,036	8,459	7,994	8,591
18º	Bolivia	2,861	Venezuela	2,180	2,083	4,193	2,908	3,173	3,412	3,395	3,206

[i] Country evaluated from 2004

Effective Exercise of Power to Govern

Sub-dimension IV-I Index - Capacity of Generating Policies towards Welfare

Country		Index	Country	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
1º	Costa Rica	2,584	Argentina	0,842	0,631	0,427	0,515	1,151	1,248	1,241	1,007
2º	Chile	1,693	Bolivia	-0,054	-0,044	0,119	0,154	-0,022	0,653	0,229	-0,699
3º	México	1,012	Brasil	0,740	0,920	0,348	0,376	-0,200	0,053	0,545	0,333
4º	Argentina	1,007	Colombia	0,021	0,134	0,005	0,036	-0,215	-0,290	0,056	-0,264
5º	Uruguay	0,756	Costa Rica	1,465	1,509	2,007	1,983	2,714	2,307	2,922	2,584
6º	Panamá	0,521	Chile	1,381	1,392	1,476	1,442	1,997	2,445	2,222	1,693
7º	Brasil	0,333	Ecuador	-2,127	-1,781	-1,749	-1,815	-1,461	-0,948	-1,452	-1,047
8º	Colombia	-0,264	El Salvador	-0,573	-0,712	-0,443	-0,510	-0,845	-0,845	-0,465	-0,446
9º	Venezuela	-0,305	Guatemala	-1,598	-1,541	-0,714	-0,640	-0,816	-1,025	-1,452	-0,717
10º	Honduras	-0,326	Honduras	-1,123	-1,125	-0,790	-0,842	-0,130	0,162	-0,300	-0,326
11º	El Salvador	-0,446	México	1,009	1,007	1,226	0,945	0,399	1,155	0,742	1,012
12º	Nicaragua	-0,653	Nicaragua	-1,196	-1,213	-0,924	-0,882	-1,046	-1,321	-0,393	-0,653
13º	Bolivia	-0,699	Panamá	0,733	0,595	0,257	0,306	1,104	0,013	0,189	0,521
14º	Guatemala	-0,717	Paraguay	-0,376	-0,318	-0,188	-0,137	-0,839	-0,805	-1,067	-0,745
15º	Paraguay	-0,745	Perú	-0,699	-0,651	-0,769	-0,779	-0,953	-1,188	-1,127	-0,874
16º	Perú	-0,874	R. Dominicana[i]			-1,513	-1,530	-1,781	-2,505	-2,085	-1,497
17º	Ecuador	-1,047	Uruguay	2,195	1,900	1,836	1,931	1,245	1,538	0,593	0,756
18º	R. Dominicana	-1,497	Venezuela	-0,640	-0,701	-0,610	-0,552	-0,301	-0,656	-0,398	-0,305

[i] Country evaluated from 2004

Effective Exercise of Power to Govern

Sub-dimension IV-II Index - Capacity of Generating Policies towards Economic Efficiency

Country

Index

Country

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

1º

México

2,140

Argentina

1,246

0,862

-0,232

-0,012

0,548

0,531

0,894

0,232

2º

Venezuela

1,502

Bolivia