ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the role played in Latin American politics by other branches of government that in some established democracies allow for a separation of powers. It looks at legislatures – often referred to as congresses – and the parties that inhabit them, the judiciary, and the institutional structure of public administration whose role it is to deliver policy. The traditional view of legislatures in Latin America is that they have been largely irrelevant to the policy process, often unable to remove presidents they dislike yet ill-equipped to push forward their own proposals. Political parties are at the heart of institutional politics in a democracy, but have a mixed reputation in Latin America, where a large proportion of the population believes that democracy is possible without them. In the 1980s and 1990s, decentralization reforms driven by political and economic considerations and aiming to strengthen the role of local governments also rose up the political agenda throughout Latin America.
