Resumo

MORALES QUIROGA, Mauricio. Corruption and Democracy: Latin America in Comparative Perspective. Gest. polít. pública [online]. 2009, vol.18, n.2, pp.205-252. ISSN 1405-1079.

While there is broad agreement literature regarding the negative impact of corruption on democracy, there are significant differences by combining the perception and victimization by corruption, with the support and satisfaction with the regime. The study of LAPOP for 2006 concluded that while the perception of corruption associated with the performance of civil servants does not explain substantively support for democracy, personal experiences of corruption measures in the rate of victimization presents itself as a determinant factor. Moreover, the perception of corruption is more meaningful to assess satisfaction with democracy and institutional confidence compared to the rates of victimization. In other words, while citizens can speak critical of the performance of the authorities in terms of corruption, this does not necessarily translate into a fall in support for democracy. Thus, although the argument that corruption affects democracy is correct, does it differently considering the impact of perception and victimization on the levels of legitimacy and satisfaction with the regime in Latin American countries.

Palavras-chave : corruption; democracy; Latin America; perception; victimization.