Date of Award
Spring 5-4-2018
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Political Science and International Affairs
Department Chair or Program Director
Kramer, Jack
First Advisor
Barr, Robert
Second Advisor
Singh, Ranjit
Major or Concentration
Political Science
Abstract
This paper explains the resilience of clientelism in Argentina from 1989 to 1999, or the years of Carlos Menem’s presidency. Menem enacted sweeping neoliberal reforms, which leading theories predicted would extinguish clientelism. Nevertheless, it persisted throughout the decade. The paper first reconstructs the concept of clientelism, presenting a definition of the phenomenon. It then tests and finds support for two hypotheses to explain its resilience. The first, from the leading school of thought in the literature, predicts that the use of clientelism decreases with an increase in competition. I suggest a new hypothesis that Menem’s position relative to the Peronist party influences his decision to pursue the clientelist linkage. If he is in a dominant position, then he is likely to choose clientelism.
Recommended Citation
Castro-Meirelles, Marina, "The Resilience of Clientelism in Menem's Argentina" (2018). Student Research Submissions. 244.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/244