In the early 1980s most Latin American countries made a transition from authoritarian to democratic regimes. They went along with the third wave of democratization that had started in the 1970s in...Show moreIn the early 1980s most Latin American countries made a transition from authoritarian to democratic regimes. They went along with the third wave of democratization that had started in the 1970s in Southern Europe (Linz ,Stepan and Gunther 1995, 124). In 1978 only three of the twenty Latin American countries were democratic; Colombia, Venezuela and Costa Rica. By 1992, 15 of the remaining countries transitioned to semi-democratic or democratic regimes. Democracy had been experienced previously in this region, but it was a very oligarchic regime with limited competition. Besides, democracy had never lasted long and it has never involved as many countries as after during the third wave (Hagopian and Mainwaring 2005, 1-2). However, this does not mean that democratization has been entirely successful. Unlike the Southern European countries which were able to consolidate, most Latin American countries are still facing challenges of creating stable, consolidated democracies. In fact, many of these countries are not fully democratic yet or are facing democratic erosion (Millet 2009, 5; Linz, Stepan and Gunther 1995, 124). This is mostly due to the fact that governments have not been able to deal with certain problems that most Latin American countries have in common: problems like poverty, inequality, and high crime rates. This has led to dissatisfaction with democracy and to popular unrest (Hagopian and Mainwaring 2005, 1-2). Fortunately, this does not apply to all countries. Chile, Uruguay and Costa Rica for example, are considered to be consolidated democracies. Why is it that democracy has consolidated in some countries and it hasn’t in others?Show less
This research has been conducted with the objective to study the role of executive functions (EF); inhibition, working memory and flexibility in the prediction of behavior problems in children with...Show moreThis research has been conducted with the objective to study the role of executive functions (EF); inhibition, working memory and flexibility in the prediction of behavior problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The children in the research group were selected via different centers in the Netherlands and consists of 29 boys and 4 girls. The ages vary between 8.2 and 14.1 years. The different EF have been measured by three different tasks out of the ANT (STS, SSV, GoNoGo) and with the help of the DEX questionnaire, which has been filled in by the parents. The behavior problems; emotional problems, hyperactivity, conduct disorder and pro-social behavior have also been measured by using the questionnaire filled in by the parents (SDQ). From within the SSV the results show that it turns out that inhibition is a predictor for hyperactivity. Furthermore only the DEX questionnaire turns out to be a predictor for different behavioral problems. It is found that emotional problems cannot be predicted from executive dysfunctions. The current study reveals that executive dysfunctions are a predictical factor for behavioral problems. Distinction in which EF are predictive for a certain type behavior problems cannot be made.Show less
