The process of decentralization empowered municipalities in many unitary countries. However, it not necessarily entailed the desired democratic deepening. How is democracy practiced in Latin American municipalities? Why do some mayors continue in office for longer periods than others? In The Persistence of Local Caudillos in Latin America, I take on the concept of caudillos, long-standing mayors that govern in highly abusive and discretionary manner, to understand how power is exercised in municipalities across the region. The book proposes a novel analytical framework to explain caudillo continuity in power and their departure from offices largely based on local actors’ agency. Drawing on in-depth case studies of six urban municipalities in Chile, Peru, and Paraguay, the book shows that caudillos reproduce in power by using strategically informal political practices to cement their political base, control local political opposition, and neutralize other local actors and their eventual departure from power depends largely on their own strategic (mis)calculations and actions. The book shows that democracy is highly uneven also in unitary countries and power is often exercised in highly arbitrary and abusive fashion by local caudillos and clans.

El libro será publicado por University of Pittsburgh Press en 2024.