ABSTRACT
In Central America, the 1980s were characterised by political negotiations in search of peace, while the 1990s witnessed initiatives aimed at the consolidation of emerging democracies and govemability. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are playing an important role in the consolidation of democracy through the development of organised civil society, along with the emergence of popular social forces and broader citizen participation in the decision-making process (Fundación Arias 1997; Serbin 1998). In Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala in particular, these emergent social forces, by changing the traditional alliances between the agricultural oligarchy, the military and external forces, are seen to be ways of consolidating democracy and avoiding the return to 'reactionary despots' of the past (Karl 1995).
