Comparing Difficult Democratic Legacies: Institutional Continuity and State Formation in Spain and Mexico
Calderon Martinez, Pablo (2019) Comparing Difficult Democratic Legacies: Institutional Continuity and State Formation in Spain and Mexico. Journal of Iberian and Latin American Research, 24 (3). pp. 260-277.
Abstract
This article offers a comparative analysis of Spain and Mexico’s institutional evolution to elucidate how history matters in very specific ways. The main argument is that Mexico and Spain shared certain similarities but also key differences in terms of institutional continuities and their attempts to consolidate a modern nation-state. Variances in these two evolutions help us explain the varying degrees of success of both transitions. Whilst Mexico’s entrenched institutional arrangement was supported by a relatively continuous evolution of extractive institutions since independence, Spain’s history was characterized by clearer institutional breaks. Furthermore, Mexico’s earlier and stronger process of state consolidation under authoritarianism led to a strongly unified elite. Such elite unity made the transition process a long and protracted one, whilst Spain’s weaker state unification allowed for a competition of different elite groups during its transition to democracy; which greatly explains many of the characteristics of Spain’s transition model.
Actions (login required)
 |
Edit Item |