Loyal to the Executive
The Effect of State Capacity on Local Horizontal Accountability
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6380274 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Martín Ordóñez (0000-0001-5243-1273, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 1-24 |
| Publication date | 2023-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Revista de ciencia política (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0716-1417 • E-ISSN: 0718-090X |
| Publisher | SciELO Agencia Nacional de Investigacion y Desarrollo (ANID) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.4067/s0718-090x2023005000101 |
| OpenAlex | W4323786164 |
| SCIELO_PID | S0718-090X2023000100001 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 23 |
State capacity is often hypothesized to reinforce democracy, wherever democracy already exists. This article demonstrates that, at the local level, capacity can actually undermine democracy by making it harder for councilors to hold mayors accountable. Drawing on the comparative method, this work analyzes the effect of bureaucratic capacity on horizontal accountability (which is critical for liberal democracy) in four municipalities in Santiago, Chile. I argue that well-funded, professionalized, and usable bureaucracies allow mayors to monopolize relationships with local communities and, thus, marginalize municipal councils as key agents of local accountability. When bureaucracies lack capacity but not usability, mayors can still manage to avoid horizontal accountability by making access to municipal resources contingent upon councilorsâ loyalty. Municipal councilsâ inclination towards accountability is, however, greater when local bureaucracies are highly capable but not usable. Here, the local executive lacks influence over councilorsâ electoral support and, therefore, on their inclination towards accountability
Accountability · Bureaucracy · Democracy · Political science · Politics · Public relations · State (computer science · Work (physics · Engineering · Law · Local Government Finance and Decentralization · Political Systems and Governance · Public Administration · Public Policy and Administration Research
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Uprooted but Stable
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,67 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2025 (3) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |