¿Por qué son importantes las regiones? Especificidades regionales y difusión de la democracia a escala regional

Abstract

In this paper we build a defense of the study of regions in comparative politics. We discuss two analytical problems that demand a detailed focus on specific regions: causal heterogeneity and intra-regional diffusion patterns. The first section of the paper argues that the three major analytical strategies in comparative politics (case studies, comparative studies and large- N work) have for the most part failed to conceptualize regions in a systematic way. In sections two and three we illustrate the issue of causal heterogeneity, showing that the effects of per capita income on democracy have been different in Latin America and in other regions of the world. Sections four and five address intra-regional diffusion of regime types. We show that, at least in the Latin American case, intra-regional dissemination has been stronger than cross-regional dissemination. Our conclusions emphasize the need to avoid simplistic generalizations about regions as homogeneous entities.