The Persistence of Local Caudillos in Latin American: Informal Political Practices and Democracy in Unitary Countries

Despite democratization at the national level, local political bosses still govern many municipalities in Latin America. Caudillos and clans often use informal political practices--ranging from clientelism and patronage to harassment of political opposition--to control local political dynamics. These arbitrary and, at times, abusive practices pose important challenges to how Latin American democracy works and how power is exercised after the decentralization reforms in the region. These reforms promised to bring the government closer to the people and to promote popular participation. In many cases, these ideals are unmet, and newly empowered local politicians have been able to turn municipalities into personal fiefdoms. This book explores how local caudillos stay in power and why some are more successful than others in retaining office. Tomás Dosek provides an in-depth analysis of six cases from Chile, Paraguay, and Peru to show the strategies that caudillos pursue to secure power and the mistakes they commit that drive them out.

Tomás Dosek is associate professor of political science in the Departmento de Ciencias Sociales at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and researcher with the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas, Económicas, Políticas y Antropológicas. He is coeditor of Women, Politics, and Democracy in Latin America and Mujeres en la política: Experiencias nacionales y subnacionales en América Latina.