Yesterday's Presidential Symposium

Before yesterday's presidential symposium I had never been to an event like that. There were a few things that stood out for me, specifically one statement made by one of the speakers. He had pointed out that part of the reason for so many coups in Latin America are due to the fact that so much responsibility is place on presidents, who become easy scapegoats when things fail. It made me wonder about the possibilities for institutional change and whether or not problems can be dealt with in that manner rather than ousting the president. I'd be interested in anyone else's ideas. The book Audacious Reforms: Institutional Invention and Democracy in Latin America by Merilee S. Grindle illustrates some specific examples of institutional transformations that were both creative and successful, in case you are interested.