Nicaragua and Costa are neighboring countries in Central America that
have had very different political trajectories: Nicaragua has been beset by long periods of
authoritarian rule and civil war, while Costa Rica has enjoyed relative peace and stability
and has been a democracy since 1899. What factors explain this dramatic divergence in
outcomes?
Required Readings:
Marti�nez Franzoni Juliana, and Sa�nchez-Ancochea Diego. 2014. “Filling in the Missing
Link between Universalism and Democracy: The Case of Costa Rica.� Latin American
Politics and Society 56 (4): 98–118
Pettiford, Lloyd. 1999. “Simply a Matter of Luck?: Why Costa Rica Remains a
Democracy.� Democratization 6 (1): 87–104.
“The Authoritarian Executive? Horizontal and Vertical Accountability in Nicaragua.�
2006. Latin American Politics & Society 48 (2): 141–69.
McConnell, Shelley A. 2007. “Nicaragua’s Turning Point.â€� Current History 106 (697):
83–88.
Cupples, J., Glynn, K. 2018. “Introduction: Democracy and Authoritarianism in
Nicaragua� in Shifting Nicaraguan Mediascapes. SpringerBriefs in Latin American
Studies. Springer, Cham, pp.1-10
Also needs at least 3 more sources.
10 pages minimum, double spaced, with bibliography (does not count as a page)