Clientelism in Everyday Latin American Politics

In Latin America and beyond, societies are deeply unequal, the poor are marginalized, and states face continuous fiscal shortages and real or potential political instability. In this context, democracy functions imperfectly. It intermeshes with clientelism, with the incongruous result that clientelism not only erodes but also accompanies and supplements democratic processes. Armed with evidence of these complex interactions, Clientelism in Everyday Latin American Politics improves understandings of how and why clientelism endures and why state policy is often ineffective. Political scientists and sociologists, the contributors employ ethnography, targeted interviews, case studies, within-case and regional comparison, thick descriptions, and process tracing. They write from political economy and institutionalist, principal- and agent-centered perspectives.

Tina Hilgers is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Concordia University, Canada. Her research interests include poor people's politics, clientelism, state-society relations, development, and democracy. Her work has been published in Theory and Society, Politique et Sociétés, Journal of Iberian and Latin American Research, Latin American Politics and Society, and the Latin American Research Review.

PART I: INTRODUCTION
Democratic Processes, Clientelistic Relationships, and the Material Goods Problem; T.Hilgers
PART II: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
Favors, 'Merit Ribbons,' and Services: Analyzing the Fragile Resilience of Clientelism; L.Roniger
What is Politics for? Inequality, Representation, and Needs Satisfaction Under Clientelism and Democracy; J.Shefner
PART III: THE MULTIPLE DYNAMICS OF CLIENTELISM IN LATIN AMERICA
Democratic Processes, Patronage Politics, and Contentious Collective Action in El Alto, Bolivia; P.Lapegna & J.Auyero
Clientelism, Democracy, and Violence in Rio de Janeiro; R.Gay
When Clients Become Collective Actors: Participatory Budgeting, Changing Mobilization Patterns and Varieties of Clientelism in Democratizing Recife, Brazil; F.Montambeault
Clientelism and Subnational Politics in Latin America: Reflections on Oaxaca, Mexico and Bahia, Brazil; J.D.Herrmann
Fragmented Clientelism in Montevideo: Training Ground for Community Engagement with Participatory Decentralization; E.Canel
PART IV: PROPOSALS FOR FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF STUDY
Clientelistic Democracy or Democratic Clientelism: A Matter of Context; T.Hilgers
State Power and Clientelism: Eight Propositions for Discussion; J.Fox