Building the Latin America We Want: Supplementing Representative Democracies with Consensus-Building

Authors

Mariana Hernández Crespo, University of St. Thomas School of Law

Abstract

This article is about using consensus-building to create channels for meaningful participation in public decision-making, in order to supplement representative democracies in Latin America. I argue that the addition of a consensus-building mechanism into the legislative process will create the necessary forum for stakeholders to contribute to the framing and resolution of issues of public concern. Furthermore, as Susskind has argued, allowing citizens to participate at the beginning of decision-making processes will make legislative outcomes more legitimate and decrease the level of political dissatisfaction.

Disciplines

Dispute Resolution and Arbitration | Law

Recommended Citation

Mariana Hernández Crespo, Building the Latin America We Want: Supplementing Representative Democracies with Consensus-Building, 10 Cardozo J. Conflict Resol. 425 (2009).
Available at: https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/cjcr/vol10/iss2/6