|
Showing 1 - 8 of
8 matches in All Departments
Integrates social science literature on clientelism with a sharp narrative of Colombian politics during and after the Frente Nacional. Argues that as the Colombian State developed in the second half of 20th century, traditional forms of clientelism were modernized and incorporated into State practices, a process that presented a major barrier to regime democratization"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 57.
In Latin America the state is the prime regulator, coordinator, and
pace-setter of the entire national system, the apex of the pyramid
from which patronage, wealth, power, and programs flow. The state
bears responsibility for the realization of civic needs, providing
goods and services to each citizen. Doing so requires the exercise
and maintenance of social and political control. It is John Martz's
contention that clientelism underlines the fundamental character of
Latin American social and political life. As the modernizing
bureaucratic state has developed in Latin America, there has been a
concurrent shifting away from clientelistic relationships. Yet in
one form or another, political clientelism still remains central.
Clientelism occurs when large numbers of low-status individuals,
such as those in the slums of rural and underdeveloped areas, are
protected by a powerful patron who defends their interests in
return for deference or material reward. In Colombia the rural
patron has become a member of the higher clientelistic system as
well; he is dependent on a patron who operates at the national
level. This enables urban elites to mobilize low-status clients for
such acts as mass demonstrations of political loyalty to the
regime. Thus, traditional clientelism has been modified through the
process of modernization. Part One of The Politics of Clientelism
examines Colombian politics, focusing on the incarnation and
traditional forms of clientelism. Part Two explores the policies of
Colombian governance, from the administrations of Lleras Camargo
through Julio Cesar Turbay Ayala. Part Three discusses the
modernization and restructuring of Colombia in recent decades under
Belisario Betancur, Virgilio Barco, and Cesar Gaviria. As the
modernizing bureaucratic state has unfolded, there has been a
similar shift in many clientelistic relationships. Martz argues
that, whether corporate clientelism remains or more democratic
organization develops, Colombia is unlikely to shed its basic
clientelistic impulses. Reforms will determine whether or not the
state can construct a system in which the citizenry affects the
course of national politics. The Politics of Clientelism provides a
well-developed theory linking regime and governmental process to
policy formulation and performance in Colombia. It will be
engrossing reading for economists, sociologists, political
scientists, and other researchers interested in Latin America.
|
You may like...
Merry Christmas
Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff, …
CD
R122
R112
Discovery Miles 1 120
|