The main purpose of this article is to identify societal conditions that may work to favor democracy in Latin América, articulating this concept of democracy with the concept of social capital, as outlined by Putnam (2000). Our working hypothesis posits a significant association between social capital and democracy. We also believe that the existence of stocks of social capital, within a particular society, is a positive influence on belief in democratic regimes and their institutions. Our hypothesis uses data from three South American capitals: Porto Alegre (Brazil), Montevideo (Uruguay) and Santiago de Chile (Chile), gathered in three research projects that were applied in these countries.
democracy; social capital; Latin América
