Strong evidence was found in the 2004 and 2008 AmericasBarometer surveys carried out by the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) that Honduras was unusually vulnerable to political instability, says Vanderbilt political scientist Mitchell Seligson. He is the co-author of “Predicting Coups? Democratic Vulnerabilities, The AmericasBarometer and The 2009 Honduran Crisis,” part of the Insights Series published by LAPOP.Seligson notes that social scientists can never predict exactly when a coup might happen, but they can detect weaknesses of countries to system-challenging forces.
Ann Marie Deer Owens, (615) 322-NEWS
annmarie.owens@vanderbilt.edu