Discrimination and the distrust of democratic institutions in Latin America

Levitt, Barry S.

doi:10.1080/21565503.2015.1050410

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…On the one hand, believing one has been affected by inequality and discrimination can heighten one's sense of injustice and diminish the legitimacy of political institutions (Córdova and Layton 2016;Levitt 2015;Mitchell 2010;Silva and Reis 2011). On the other hand, perceiving that one is not solely to blame for one's misfortunes could, paradoxically, improve self-esteem and feelings of efficacy in some circumstances (Branscombe et al 1999).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Is It Race, Class, or Gender? The Sources of Perceived Discrimination in Brazil

Layton¹,

Smith²

2017

Lat. Am. polit. soc.

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Observers have long noted Brazil's distinctive racial politics: the coexistence of relatively integrated race relations and a national ideology of "racial democracy" with deep social inequalities along color lines. Those defending a vision of a nonracist Brazil attribute such inequalities to mechanisms perpetuating class distinctions. This article examines how members of disadvantaged groups perceive their disadvantage and what determines self-reports of discriminatory experiences, using 2010 AmericasBarometer data. About a third of respondents reported experiencing discrimination. Consistent with Brazilian national myths, respondents were much more likely to report discrimination due to their class than to their race. Nonetheless, the respondent's skin color, as coded by the interviewer, was a strong determinant of reporting class as well as race and gender discrimination. Race is more strongly associated with perceived "class" discrimination than is household wealth, education, or region of residence; female gender intensifies the association between color and discrimination.

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confidence: 99%

Is It Race, Class, or Gender? The Sources of Perceived Discrimination in Brazil

Layton¹,

Smith²

2017

Lat. Am. polit. soc.

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“…Despite the growing body of evidence that skin tone is closely linked to patterns of discrimination and social inequality, we know surprisingly little about the political implications of this pattern. As Levitt noted in a recent article, “the domestic economic impacts of discrimination have received some attention from scholars, [but] the extant social science literature has less to say about domestic political consequences of discrimination” (2015, 418). In that article, Levitt finds evidence that self-reported experiences with discrimination—particularly at the hands of government actors—are associated with distrust of government institutions.…”

Section: The Political Implications Of Inequalities Tied To Skin Tonementioning

confidence: 99%

Skin Color and System Support in Latin America

Sánchez

Doherty

Dobbs

2020

J. Race Ethnicity Politics

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Is darker skin pigmentation associated with less favorable social and political outcomes in Latin America? We leverage data from 18 Latin American countries across multiple survey waves to demonstrate the robust and potent negative relationship between the darkness of skin tone and socio-economic status. Then we examine the relationship between skin color and attitudes toward the political system. In spite of our substantial sample size, we find little support for the expectation that respondents with darker skin are less favorably disposed toward the political system—indeed, on balance, our findings run counter to this expectation. Our findings suggest that the socio-economic “pigmentocracy” that pervades the region does not necessarily translate into pronounced differences in attitudes about the political system. This finding casts some doubt on the expectation that social inequalities are likely to destabilize governments or undermine their legitimacy.

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“…The indicator used in this paper is trust in government, which refers to the Executive branch. Levitt (2015) has argued that trust in people, and interactions with fellow citizens, which can be viewed as a measure of national culture, determine people's political attitudes. Levitt tested whether ethnic discrimination, an indicator of national culture, motivates mistrust in government in the Latin American countries, reporting that such effect is modest and is directed primarily to Congress and high courts, without significant impact on trust in the government 10 .…”

Section: National Culture and Trust In Governmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Levitt tested whether ethnic discrimination, an indicator of national culture, motivates mistrust in government in the Latin American countries, reporting that such effect is modest and is directed primarily to Congress and high courts, without significant impact on trust in the government 10 . Levitt (2015) reported that in the Latin American countries, people's perception of discrimination or mistreatment in public offices leads to decreased trust in government when the incumbent President belongs to a party of "left" orientation, which is expected to represent "the people". The experiences of ethnic minorities in the US is different: African Americans who have long been victims of discrimination report low levels of trust in government (Avery, 2006).…”

Section: National Culture and Trust In Governmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of trust in government in Latin America

Cáceres

2019

REMEF

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The objective of this paper is to identify the determinants of trust in government in the Latin American countries, using a cross section of average labor market and social data of the 2007-2012 period. The methodology consists of the estimation of equations based on the application of Phillips and Hansen’s cointegration least squares, using as independent variables labor market indicators, as well as those associated with public expenditures, institutional quality and others. The emphasis of this paper is to study the association between trust in government and economic and social variables. Results show that while inequality is an important determinant of trust in government, the rates of female self employment and quality employment have positive and negative impacts on trust in government. Male self and quality employment have no impacts. Citizens’ perception that government is committed to combat poverty leads to increased trust in government. This is a topic that has not received attention in the literature.The main limitation of this study is the reduced size of the sample of 18 observations. It is concluded that increasing social expenditures and reducing inequality would be conducive to higher levels of trust in the government in the Latin American countries.

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Discrimination and the distrust of democratic institutions in Latin America

Cited by 11 publications

References 65 publications

Is It Race, Class, or Gender? The Sources of Perceived Discrimination in Brazil

Is It Race, Class, or Gender? The Sources of Perceived Discrimination in Brazil

Skin Color and System Support in Latin America

Determinants of trust in government in Latin America

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