Book reviews

This essay challenges the conventional wisdom that political pacts intended to consolidate the transition to democracy have the paradoxical consequence of compromising or freezing democracy. It suggests, instead, that political pacts have a neutral impact and that whether they are good or bad for democracy depends upon the inclusiveness and political diversity of the bargaining cartel and its ties to societal organisations. These arguments are derived from an analysis of the case of Spain, where political pacts led to a widely praised process of democratisation, with contrasting perspectives from Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil, cases that loom large over the debate about how pacts freeze democracy.