Myth of Civil Society: Social Capital and Democratic Consolidation in Spain and Brazil, The

Latin American Politics and Society, Summer 2005 by Hilbink, Elisabeth

None of this is to deny Encarnación's point that political leaders and political institutions in the two countries have performed in strikingly different ways and with opposite effects on levels of social capital. Perhaps the most important contribution of this book is its reminder to scholars and policymakers that all the citizen participation and mobilization in the world will not be enough to secure a healthy democracy when political leaders and institutions are incapable of responding to popular needs. A robust civil society may advance and support democracy, but is unlikely to do so when its members view politicians and political institutions as irremediably corrupt, untrustworthy, or out of touch.

Encarnación therefore urges democratic reformers to focus on "developing viable political institutions whose performance can inspire trust ancl confidence within civil society and the general public" (167). This is, of course, far easier said than done. Political leaders can be trained and institutions funded by development agencies, but ultimately, the way they perform will depend heavily on the understandings and incentives that are provided by the surrounding social and economic structures (be they subnational, national, or international). To my mind, the larger lesson that can be drawn from the book is not the one that Encarnacion offers explicitly (that is, support the development of political institutions), but one that emerges implicitly from his case studies: support actors and policies that will acknowledge ancl (at least begin to) meet the needs and demands of the popular classes.

What stands out as much in his juxtaposition of the Spanish and Brazilian cases as the differences in institutional forms is the sharp contrast in the substance of the policies that the two political systems produced, both before and after the transitions to democracy. To the extent possible, then, scholars and policymakers should seek to diffuse understandings and provide incentives for those in power to support more inclusive and equitable social and economic policies. Therein lies the key to securing a meaningful and sustainable democracy.

Elisabeth Hilbink

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities