Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T01:46:55.690Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Rules of Procedure as a Cause of Legislative Paralysis: The Case of Costa Rica, 2002–2012

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Fabián A. Borges
Fabián A. Borges*
Affiliation:
Political science at the University of Southern California. borgeshe@usc.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Research on executive-legislative relations in Latin America has focused on the impact of minority presidents and multiparty legislatures on legislative productivity. But an additional deadlock scenario, the blocking of a majority president by a minority through filibustering, has been understudied. This article analyzes filibustering in Costa Rica and explains the legislative paralysis in the wake of the nation's transition to a multiparty system in 2002. Legislative paralysis is seen as a product of the interaction between increased legislative fragmentation and polarization and the legislature's preexisting rules of procedure, which enable legislators easily to block bills they oppose, even when those bills are supported by supermajorities. This argument is tested through a comparison of major economic reforms in the 2000s to the reforms tackled in the 1990s. The role of filibustering, well acknowledged in U.S. politics, should also be studied in comparative politics.

Type
Research Article
Information
Latin American Politics and Society , Volume 56 , Issue 4 , Winter 2014 , pp. 119 - 142
Copyright
Copyright © University of Miami 2014

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alcántara, Manuel, ed. 2013. Proyecto de Elites Parlamentarias Latinoamericanas (PELA). Universidad de Salamanca. http://americo.usal.es/oir/elites Google Scholar
Alfaro-Redondo, Ronald, and Seligson, Mitchell A.. 2012. Cultura política de la democracia en Costa Rica y en las Américas, 2012: hacia la igualdad de oportunidades. San José: LAPOP/CCP-UCR.Google Scholar
Altman, David. 2011. Direct Democracy Worldwide. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Alvarez Desanti, Antonio. 2005. El Artículo 208bis. Revista Parlamentaria (Costa Rica) 13, l: 11–19.Google Scholar
Arias Ramírez, Bernal. 2008. Estudiocomparativo de normativa parlamentaria. Paper prepared for the 14th Estado de la Nación report. www.estadonacion.or.cr/files/biblioteca_virtual/014/Estudio-comparativo-Arias-2008.pdf Google Scholar
Asamblea Legislativa de la República de Costa Rica. 2012. Reglamento de la Asamblea Legislativa. www.asamblea.go.cr/Centro_de_informacion/biblioteca/Investigaciones%20Realizadas/ral2012/ral_portal/reglamentoal2012_interactivo.pdf Google Scholar
Binder, Sarah H., and Smith, Steven S.. 1997. Politics or Principle? Filibustering in the United States Senate. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.Google Scholar
Carey, John M. 1997. Strong Candidates for a Limited Office: Presidentialism and Political Parties in Costa Rica. In Presidentialism and Democracy in Latin America, ed. Scott, Mainwaring and Soberg Shugart, Matthew. New York: Cambridge University Press. 199–224.Google Scholar
Cheibub, José Antonio. 2002. Minority Governments, Deadlock Situations, and the Survival of Presidential Democracies. Comparative Political Studies 35, 3: 284–312.Google Scholar
Cheibub, José Antonio. 2007. Presidentialism, Parliamentarism and Democracy. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Cheibub, Jose Antonio, Przeworski, Adam, and Saiegh, Sebastián M.. 2004. Government Coalitions and Legislative Success under Presidentialism and Parliamentarism. British Journal of Political Science 34, 4: 565–87.Google Scholar
Cornick, Jorge, and Trejos, Alberto. 2009. Political and Institutional Obstacles to Reform in Costa Rica. In Growing Pains in Latin America: An Economic Growth Framework as Applied to Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Peru, ed. Rojas-Suárez, Liliana. Washington, DC: Center for Global Development. 153–91.Google Scholar
Cox, Gary W. 2000. On the Effects of Legislative Rules. Legislative Studies Quarterly 25, 2: 169–92.Google Scholar
Crisp, Brian F., Desposato, Scott W., and Kanthak, Kristin. 2011. Legislative Pivots, Presidential Powers, and Policy Stability. Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization 27, 2: 426–52.Google Scholar
Dalton, Russell J. 2008. The Quantity and the Quality of Party Systems: Party System Polarization, Its Measurement, and Its Consequences. Comparative Political Studies 41, 4: 899–920.Google Scholar
Feoli, Ludovico. 2010. La gestión legislativa en Costa Rica 2006–2010. Paper prepared for the 16th Estado de la Nación report. www.estadonacion.or.cr/files/biblioteca_virtual/016/ludovico_feoli.pdf Google Scholar
Fernández, Raquel, Rodrik, and Dani, 1991. Resistance to Reform: Status Quo Bias in the Presence of Individual-Specific Uncertainty. American Economic Review 81, 5: 1146–55.Google Scholar
Gómez Campos, Steffan, and Guillermo Murillo Chinchilla, Juan. 2012. Desempeño legislativo en la segunda legislatura de la administración Chinchilla Miranda (2011–2012). Paper prepared for the 18th Estado de la Nación report. www.estadonacion.or.cr/files/biblioteca_virtual/018/Gomez-y-Murillo-2012-Desempeno-legislativo.pdf Google Scholar
Haggard, Stephan, and Kaufman, Robert. 1992. Institutions and Economic Adjustments. In The Politics of Economic Adjustment, ed. Haggard, and Kaufman, . Princeton: Princeton University Press. 3–40.Google Scholar
Hammergren, Linn. 2007. Envisioning Reform: Improving Judicial Performance in Latin America. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press.Google Scholar
Hernández Naranjo, Gerardo. 2007. Dinámicas del sistema de partidos políticos y del cambio institucional en el régimen electoral de Costa Rica, 1952–2002. Ph.D. diss., El Colegio de México.Google Scholar
Hoffman, Bert. 2008. Why Reform Fails: the “Politics of Policies” in Costa Rican Telecommunications Liberalization. Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies 84, 1: 3–19.Google Scholar
Jiménez Castro, Wilburg. 2000. Préstamos y programas de ajuste estructural de Costa Rica. San José: Editorial UNED.Google Scholar
King, Gary, Keohane, Robert O., and Verba, Sidney. 1994. Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Koger, Gregory. 2010. Filibustering: A Political History of Obstruction in the House and Senate. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Laakso, Markku, and Taagepera, Rein. 1979. Effective Number of Parties: a Measure with Application to West Europe. Comparative Political Studies 12, 1: 3–27.Google Scholar
Lehoucq, Fabrice. 1996. The Institutional Foundations of Democratic Cooperation in Costa Rica. Journal of Latin American Studies 28, 2: 329–55.Google Scholar
Lehoucq, Fabrice. 2005. Costa Rica: Paradise in Doubt? Journal of Democracy 16, 3: 140–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Linz, Juan J. 1994. Presidential or Parliamentary Democracy: Does It Make a Difference? In The Failure of Presidential Democracy: Comparative Perspectives, vol. 1, ed. Linz, and Valenzuela, Arturo. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. 3–87.Google Scholar
Scott, Mainwaring. 1993. Presidentialism, Multipartism, and Democracy: the Difficult Combination. Comparative Political Studies 26, 2: 198–228.Google Scholar
Mainwaring, Scott, and Scully, Timothy R.. 1995. Introduction: Party Systems in Latin America. In Building Democratic Institutions: Party Systems in Latin America, ed. Mainwaring, and Scully, . Stanford: Stanford University Press. 1–36.Google Scholar
La Nación (San José). 1995a. Asoma pacto sobre impuestos. June 9.Google Scholar
La Nación (San José). 1995b. Pusc exige cumplir acuerdo. September 2.Google Scholar
La Nación (San José). 2004. Partidarios del Tratado de Libre Comercio triplican os opositores. March 17.Google Scholar
La Nación (San José). 2006a. Diputados defienden plan fiscal en Sala Iv. March 15.Google Scholar
La Nación (San José). 2006b. Plan fiscal perdió la batalla en la Sala Iv. March 23.Google Scholar
La Nación (San José). 2008a. Aliados a favor del Tlc recriminan al Pac. Jan. 10.Google Scholar
La Nación (San José). 2008b. Pac rompió quórum e impidió votar ley del Tlc. January 30.Google Scholar
La Nación (San José). 2008c. Casi la mitad reprueba labor del Pac tras el referendo. March 26.Google Scholar
La Nación (San José). 2011a. Gobierno y Pac pactan tributo del 2% a educación y salud privadas. September 15.Google Scholar
La Nación (San José). 2011b. Plan fiscal avanza al plenario tras sorpresiva votación. November 19.Google Scholar
La Nación (San José). 2011c. Gobierno y oposición chocan por decisión sobre plan fiscal. November 29.Google Scholar
La Nación (San José). 2012a. Sala Iv declara inconstitucional trámite del plan fiscal. April 10.Google Scholar
La Nación (San José). 2012b. Choque en Pln por plebiscito en Nicoya trabó plenario en octubre. November 1.Google Scholar
La Nación (San José). 2013. Reputación de Asamblea se cayó al morir el bipartidismo. April 30.Google Scholar
Pedersen, Mogens N. 1979. The Dynamics of European Party Systems: Changing Patterns of Electoral Volatility. European Journal of Political Research 7, 1: 1–26.Google Scholar
Programa Estado de la Nación (PEN). 2012. Compendio estadístico. www.estadonacion.or.cr Google Scholar
Przeworski, Adam, and Teune, Henry. 1970. Logic of Comparative Social Inquiry. New York: Wiley Interscience.Google Scholar
Przeworski, Adam, Alvarez, Michael, Cheibub, José Antonio, and Limongi, Fernando. 2000. Democracy and Development: Political Institutions and Well-Being in the World, 1950–1990. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Raventós Vorst, Ciska. 2008. Balance del referendo sobre el Tlc en Costa Rica a la luz de la teoría de la democracia. Revista de Ciencias Sociales 121: 13–29.Google Scholar
La República (San José). 2011. Carretillo de mociones espera a Plan Fiscal. January 14.Google Scholar
Rojas Bolaños, Manuel. 2007. La construcción de la agenda durante la legislativa 2006–2007. Paper prepared for the 12th Estado de la Nación report. www.estadonacion.or.cr/files/biblioteca_virtual/013/Construccion_agenda_legislativa.pdf Google Scholar
Sánchez-Ancochea, Diego. 2008. State and Society: The Political Economy of DR-CAFTA in Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and El Salvador. In Political Economy of Hemispheric Integration: Responding to Globalization in the Americas, ed. Sánchez-Ancochea, and Shadlen, Kenneth C.. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 171–200.Google Scholar
Sánchez, C., Fernando, F. 2007. Partidos políticos, elecciones y lealtades partidarias en Costa Rica: erosión y cambio. Salamanca: Ediciones Universidad Salamanca.Google Scholar
Sánchez, Sánchez, Rafael, A. 2004. Estado de bienestar, crisis económica y ajuste estructural en Costa Rica. San José: Editorial UNED.Google Scholar
Seligson, Mitchell A. 2002. Trouble in Paradise: the Impact of the Erosion of System Support in Costa Rica, 1978–1999. Latin American Research Review 37, 1: 160–85.Google Scholar
Seligson, Mitchell A., and Martínez, Juliana Martínez. 2010. Limits to Costa Rican Heterodoxy: What Has Changed in “Paradise”? In The Politics of Democratic Governance in Latin America, ed. Scott, Mainwaring and Scully, Timothy. Stanford: Stanford University Press. 307–37.Google Scholar
Shugart, Mathew Soberg, and Carey, John M.. 1992. Presidents and Assemblies: Constitutional Design and Electoral Dynamics. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Shugart, Matthew Soberg, and Mainwaring, Scott. 1997. Presidentialism and Democracy in Latin America: Rethinking the Terms of Debate. In Presidentialism and Democracy in Latin America, ed. Mainwaring, and Shugart, . New York: Cambridge University Press. 12–54.Google Scholar
Spalding, Rose J. 2006. Free Trade and Democratic Process: a Comparative Analysis of Cafta-Dr Negotiation and Ratification in El Salvador and Costa Rica. Paper presented at the 26th International Congress of the Latin American Studies Association, San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 15–18.Google Scholar
Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE). 2013. Estadísticas electorales y civiles. www.tse.go.cr/estadisticas.htm. Accessed September 3, 2014.Google Scholar
Tsebelis, George. 2002. Veto Players: How Political Institutions Work. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Vargas Cullell, Jorge, Rosero-Bixby, Luis, and Seligson, Mitchell A.. 2006. The Political Culture of Democracy in Costa Rica: 2006. San José: LAPOP/CCP-UCR.Google Scholar
Wawro, Gregory J., and Schickler, Eric. 2006. Filibuster: Obstruction and Lawmaking in the U.S. Senate. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Weitzenkorn, Laurie. 2007. Cafta: Referendum Concerns, but Coalition Cooperating; Legislation Moving. WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks cable:07SANJOSE656. April 4.Google Scholar
Willis, Eliza J., and Seiz, Janet A.. 2012. The Cafta Conflict and Costa Rica's Democracy: Assessing the 2007 Referendum. Latin American Politics and Society 54, 3 (Fall): 123–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, Bruce M. 1999. Leftist Parties, Neoliberal Policies, and Reelection Strategies: the Case of the Pln in Costa Rica. Comparative Political Studies 32, 6: 752–79.Google Scholar
Zoco, Edurne. 2006. Legislators' Positions and Party System Competition in Central America: a Comparative Analysis. Party Politics 12, 2: 257–80.Google Scholar
Zúñiga, César A. 2006. Gestión parlamentaria en Costa Rica 2005–2006: ¿Democracia parlamentaria o democracia de procedimiento? Paper prepared for the 12th Estado de la Nación report. www.estadonacion.or.cr/files/biblioteca_virtual/012/Gestion_parlamentaria_2005-2006.pdf Google Scholar