Latin American Politics and the Subnational Comparative Method

Vertical and Horizontal Challenges

Bibliographic Data

ID2998097
AuthorsK Eaton (0000-0002-7105-3420, University of California, Santa Cruz, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume62
Issue3
Pages149-172
Publication date2020-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLatin American Politics and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1531-426X • E-ISSN: 1548-2456
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/lap.2020.10
OpenAlexW3039337603
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited76

Decentralization has triggered widespread use of the subnational comparative method in the study of Latin American politics. Simultaneously, it has created challenges for this method that deserve careful attention. While subnational governments after decentralization can often be treated as potentially autonomous policy jurisdictions, their autonomy is also subject to new constraints and incursions, which may limit scholars' ability to treat them as relatively independent units. By taking stock of the vibrant literature that has emerged in recent years, this article explores three major challenges that complicate the use of the subnational comparative method. Two are vertical in nature: how to theorize national causes of subnational variation, and how the varied linkages between subnational governments and transnational actors can be conceptualized in work that compares subnational units. The third challenge is horizontal, referring to interactions between governments at the same subnational level that can either enhance or subvert autonomy

Autonomy · Decentralization · Development economics · Economics · Geography · Horizontal and vertical · Latin Americans · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Subject matter · International Development and Aid · Political Systems and Governance · Politics and Society in Latin America · Public Administration

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