The thirteen original essays in this collection evaluate the role of elections in the development of democracy in the nations of Central America: Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama. Exploring the region's transformation over the last fifteen years from dictatorial to electoral rule, this volume of new essays is a major expansion and reworking of Elections and Democracy in Central America, published by the UNC Press in 1989. The essays reevaluate the status of democratization in each country over the last six years, including the transition to civilian rule in Panama. In addition to the country-by-country analysis, the book includes topical chapters on comparative voting behavior, the impact of outside election observers, and the roles of foreign actors and elites in the election process. Although the contributors express skepticism about the prospects for some countries to consolidate democracy, they are, on the whole, optimistic about Central America's democratic future.

The contributors are Leslie Anderson, Enrique Baloyra-Herp, John A. Booth, Cynthia Chalker, Annabelle Conroy, Susanne Jonas, Ricardo Cordova Macas, Dario Moreno, John A. Peeler, Orlando J. Perez, Patricia Bayer Richard, Mark B. Rosenberg, Margaret E. Scranton, Mitchell A. Seligson, and Andrew Stein.