A new way to measure the democracy´s quality: a legacy or constitutional democracy

Abstract

The project proposes a new way to measure the quality of democracy: from the constitutional frameworks. It is considered that if the possibility of democracy, especially in regimes under development, is to be measured, it will be necessary to begin by analyzing its constitutional frameworks by a legal question, as by an ideal question of democracy, as nations different, multiethnic and multicultural. In that sense, another discussion opens, whether, we should refer to democracy in single (as an ideal) or the democracies (in plural). It takes as theoretical support the elements or dimensions that Morlino (2008) and Alcántara (2008) consider primordial for democracy and seeks and compares with the constitutional texts of Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay. In the end it is warned that, in order to improve the democracy of the countries in question, and to seek a democratic ideal, the constitutional texts must be adapted.