Dados is one of the most widely-read social sciences journals in Latin America. Created in 1966, it publishes innovative works, originating from academic research, by Brazilian and foreign authors. Edited by IESP-UERJ, it aims to reconcile scientific rigor and academic excellence with an emphasis on public debate based on the analysis of substantive issues of society and politics.
Dados vol. 62 n. 1 Rio de Janeiro 2019-06-10 2019
Abstract
ABSTRACT Taking into consideration the founding analysis of Michels, one tries to understand the relations between the internal organization of the parties and their ideological characteristics. This research presents an approach to the iron law of the oligarchy in Latin America. In it, the iron law is understood as the tendency for ideological moderation among the parties that become organizationally more complex. The survey encompasses 62 parties that participated in 49 presidential elections in 12 Latin American countries between 1998 and 2015. The organizational aspect is measured by party running time and the size of its parliamentary seats. The programmatic ideology is examined through content analysis of the presidential election governance programs. The research shows that the set of left-wing associations behaves as predicted by the iron law. The organizational aspect alone is not enough to explain the reasons for ideological change. It appears, however, in the sum of resources and circumstances that allow and restrict the strategies available to partisan leaders in the quest for power. Insofar as it reinforces the permanence of the iron law of the oligarchy as an explanatory element of party ideologies, the research also advances in the understanding of the Latin American partisan phenomenon.
Keywords: political parties, organization, Robert Michels, ideology, Latin America
Organization and Ideology in Latin American Parties: an Approximation of the Michels Hypothesis
Português do Brasil
Español