ABSTRACT
Latin American countries have made important advances in the consolidation of democratic institutions and political rights. Yet, deep-rooted inequalities prevail and are reinforced through the segmented policies and institutions of the truncated welfare states. Unsurprisingly, discontent over access and quality of social policies is prevalent and has been at the centre of political activism in several countries. This chapter focuses on citizens’ exercise of political citizenship for the quest of social equality in Latin American countries. Using data from the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) for a sample of 18 countries, it explores how dissatisfaction with the provision of social policies and demands for redistributive policies shape the democratic deficit – the gap between support for and satisfaction with democracy – and citizens’ engagement in political participation. The analysis shows that the democratic deficit widens as citizens’ dissatisfaction with education and health services increases, and as citizens’ perception that the government should implement policies to reduce inequality increases. The results also indicate that discontent over public social services and support for redistribution are positively associated with individuals’ engagement in several forms of political participation. These findings illustrate how political citizenship is exercised for advancing social citizenship in democracies with truncated welfare states.
