Robert A. Pastor

Bio: Robert A. Pastor is an academic researcher from American University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Foreign policy & Latin Americans. The author has an hindex of 20, co-authored 79 publications receiving 1530 citations. Previous affiliations of Robert A. Pastor include University of Maryland, College Park & Harvard University.

The role of electoral administration in democratic transitions: Implications for policy and research

Abstract: Much has been written about the causes and consequences of democracy, but a crucial variable for explaining the success or the failure of democratic transitions has been omitted ‐ the administration of elections. In a poor country with low levels of education, the administration of an election is no simple matter, and accidents occur at the intersection between political suspicion and technical incapacity. Many elections fail because one party interprets a ‘technical irregularity’ as politically‐inspired by its opponents, whereas it might be due to administrative failures. This article analyses the increasing use of Elections Commissions and surveys the boundary line between technical and political challenges in conducting transitional elections. It proposes a research and policy agenda to disentangle the technical from the political and pursue each more effectively.

The Meaning of China's Village Elections

Abstract: Direct elections for village leaders have been conducted in China since 1988, but they remain little known or casually dismissed by urban Chinese and the international community. Those who are aware of China's village elections have sharply divergent views as to their genuineness or effectiveness. Some are sceptical that the Chinese Communist Party would ever permit a competitive election that could threaten its grip on power. Others see the elections as a first stage in the building of democracy in China. In many ways, village elections are a kind of Rorschach test, an ambiguous drawing that is interpreted by people according to their predisposition towards China rather than the quality of the elections.

Toward a North American Community: Lessons from the Old World for the New

Abstract: In this visionary study Robert A Pastor, the Goodrich C White Professor of Political Science at Emory University, considers and analyses the proposal to transform the North American free trade area into a common market along the lines of the European Common Market Looking back at seven years of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and forty years of European union, Pastor extracts lessons and analyses success and shortcomings to arrive at a detailed proposal and specific recommendations for new institutions and "North American policies" The author addresses issues of sovereignty and national interest and concludes with a look ahead toward a Free Trade Area of the Americas This book is the first of its kind to propose a detailed approach to a North American Community-different from the European Common Market but drawing lessons from its' experience It will be of considerable interest to policymakers in the region as well as researchers and students of international political economy, world trade and foreign affairs

Toward a North American Community: Lessons from the Old World for the New

Abstract: The Mexican peso crisis struck in late December 1994, coinciding with a new Mexican administration and the end of the first year of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The crisis poignantly highlighted the success and the inadequacy of the treaty--success in the expansion of trade and capital flows, and inadequacy in institutional capacity. The Canadian, Mexican, and US governments defined the agreement so narrowly that they failed to devise a mechanism that could monitor, anticipate, plan, or even respond to such a serious problem. The president of Mexico, Vicente Fox, has boldly proposed transforming the free trade area into a common market like Europe's. In this visionary study, Robert A. Pastor seizes Fox's idea and maps out the paths toward making it a reality. He analyzes NAFTA's successes and shortcomings, extracts lessons from the European Union's 40 years of reducing disparities between rich and poor countries, and proposes ways that NAFTA can adapt and incorporate those lessons. The centerpiece of the book is a detailed proposal for new institutions and "North American plans" for infrastructure and transportation, immigration and customs, and projects aimed at lifting the poorer regions.This book is the first to propose a detailed approach to a North American Community--different from the European Common Market but drawing lessons from its experience. It will be of considerable interest to policymakers as well as researchers and students of international political economy, world trade, and foreign affairs.

Democracy with Adjectives: Conceptual Innovation in Comparative Research

Abstract: The recent trend toward democratization in countries across the globe has challenged scholars to pursue two potentially contradictory goals. On the one hand, they seek to increase analytic differentiation in order to capture the diverse forms of democracy that have emerged. On the other hand, they are concerned with conceptual validity. Specifically, they seek to avoid the problem of conceptual stretching that arises when the concept of democracy is applied to cases for which, by relevant scholarly standards, it is not appropriate. This article argues that the pursuit of these two goals has led to a proliferation of conceptual innovations, including numerous subtypes of democracy – that is to say, democracy "with adjectives." The articles explores the strengths and weaknesses of alternative strategies of conceptual innovation that have emerged: descending and climbing Sartori's ladder of generality, generating "diminished" subtypes of democracy, "precising" the definition of democracy by adding defining attributes, and shifting the overarching concept with which democracy is associated. The goal of the analysis is to make more comprehensible the complex structure of these strategies, as well as to explore trade-offs among the strategies. Even when scholars proceed intuitively, rather than self-consciously, they tend to operate within this structure. Yet it is far more desirable for them to do so self-consciously, with a full awareness of these trade-offs.

Democracy with Adjectives: Conceptual Innovation in Comparative Research

Abstract: The recent trend toward democratization in countries across the globe has challenged scholars to pursue two potentially contradictory goals. On the one hand, they seek to increase analytic differentiation in order to capture the diverse forms of democracy that have emerged. On the other hand, they are concerned with conceptual validity. Specifically, they seek to avoid the problem of conceptual stretching that arises when the concept of democracy is applied to cases for which, by relevant scholarly standards, it is not appropriate. This article argues that the pursuit of these two goals has led to a proliferation of conceptual innovations, including numerous subtypes of democracy--that is to say, democracy "with adjectives." The article explores the strengths and weaknesses of alternative strategies of conceptual innovation that have emerged: descending and climbing Sartori's ladder of generality, generating "diminished" subtypes of democracy, "precising" the definition of democracy by adding defining attributes, and shifting the overarching concept with which democracy is associated. The goal of the analysis is to make more comprehensible the complex structure of these strategies, as well as to explore trade-offs among the strategies. Even when scholars proceed intuitively, rather than self-consciously, they tend to operate within this structure. Yet it is far more desirable for them to do so self-consciously, with a full awareness of these trade-offs.

Elections Without Democracy: The Menu of Manipulation

Abstract: Elections,usually taken to be a hallmark of democracy,can also become a tool of authoritarian powerholders seeking to legitimate their rule.

Rightful Resistance in Rural China

Abstract: 1. Rightful resistance 2. Opportunities and perceptions 3. Boundary-spanning claims 4. Tactical escalation 5. Outcomes 6. Implications for China.

Electoral Engineering: Voting Rules and Political Behavior

Abstract: Part I. Introduction: 1. Do rules matter? 2. Classifying electoral systems 3. Evaluating electoral systems Part II. The Consequences for Voting Behavior: 4. Party systems 5. Social cleavages 6. Party loyalties 7. Turnout Part III. The Consequences for Political Representation: 8. Women 9. Ethnic minorities 10. Constituency service Part IV. Conclusions: 11. The impact of electoral engineering.