Hybrid Regimes Within Democracies : Fiscal Federalism and Subnational Rentier States

From the racially segregated 'Jim Crow' US South to the many electoral but hardly democratic local regimes in Argentina and other federal democracies, the political rights of citizens around the world are often curtailed by powerful subnational rulers. Hybrid Regimes within Democracies presents the first comprehensive study of democracy and authoritarianism in all the subnational units of a federation. The book focuses on Argentina, but also contains a comparative chapter that considers seven other federations including Germany, Mexico, and the United States. The in-depth and multidimensional description of subnational regimes in all Argentine provinces is complemented with an innovative explanation for the large differences between those that are democratic and those that are 'hybrid' - complex combinations of democratic and authoritarian elements. Putting forward and testing an original theory of subnational democracy, Gervasoni extends the rentier-state explanatory logic from resource rents to the more general concept of 'fiscal rents', including 'fiscal federalism rents', and from the national to the subnational level. Cover Half Title Title Page Imprints Page Dedication Contents List of Figures List of Tables Preface and Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction I.1 Getting on the Agenda: Comparative Politics and Subnational Regimes I.2 Description: Objective and Subjective Operationalizations of Subnational Democracy I.3 Explanation: A Rentier Theory of Subnational Democracy I.4 Democracy, Federalism, and Subnational Politics in Argentina I.5 Plan of the Book Part I. Description: The Anatomy and Evolution of Subnational Regimes 1 Defining and Measuring Subnational Regimes 1.1 The Background Concept: Democracy 1.1.1 Level or Quality of Democracy? 1.2 The Systematized Concept: Liberal Representative Democracy 1.2.1 The Other End: Authoritarianism or Hybrid Regimes? 1.2.2 The Dimensions and Subdimensions of the Concept 1.2.2.1 The Democratic Dimension: Contested, Inclusive, and Effective Elections 1.2.2.2 The Liberal Dimension: Institutional Constraints and Individual Rights 1.2.2.3 Components and Subcomponents of Democracy 1.3 Indicators: Objective and Subjective Measures of Democracy 1.4 Aggregation: From Indicators to Indices of Subnational Regimes 1.5 Conclusion 2 The Subnational Democracy Index: Trends in Provincial Regimes (1983−2015) 2.1 Objective Indicators: The Subnational Democracy Index 2.2 Results of the Subnational Democracy Index 2.2.1 Subnational Regime Variance: Cross-sectional and Temporal Components 2.3 Democratic and Hybrid Provinces: Qualitative Evidence on Regime Differences 2.4 Conclusion 3 Expert Survey Evidence: The Many Dimensions of Subnational Democracy 3.1 Subjective Indicators: The Survey of Experts on Provincial Politics 3.1.1 Aggregation: From Individual Responses to Provincial Indices 3.2 Results of the Survey of Experts on Provincial Politics 3.2.1 Two Dimensions of Subnational Regimes: Incumbency Advantage and Repression 3.2.2 First- and Second-level Indices of Subnational Democracy: National Level 3.2.3 First- and Second-level Indices of Subnational Democracy: All Provinces 3.2.4 A Look at the National Distribution of Individual Items 3.3 Comparing Objective and Subjective Measures of Subnational Democracy 3.4 Conclusion Part II. Explanation: The Causes of Subnational Regimes 4 On the Rentier Effects of Fiscal Federalism on Subnational Regimes 4.1 Theories of Subnational Democracy 4.2 State-Society Balance, Fiscal, and Rentier Theories of Democracy 4.2.1 Democracy as the Effect of State-Society Balance 4.2.2 Democracy as the Effect of Fiscal Bargains 4.2.3 Authoritarianism as the Effect of Natural Resource (and Other) Rents 4.2.4 Statism: Where Balance, Fiscal and Rentier Theories Meet 4.3 Climbing up the Ladder of Abstraction: From “Resource Rents” to “Fiscal Rents” 4.4 Climbing Down to the Subnational Level: From “Rentier States” to “Rentier Regions” 4.5 Conceptualizing Fiscal Rents 4.6 The Subnational Rentier State: Fiscal Federalism Rents as a Special Case of Fiscal Rents 4.7 Are Fiscal Federalism Rents more Archetypical than Resource Rents? 4.8 Conclusion 5 Fiscal Federalism, Subnational Rentierism, and Hybrid Provincial Regimes in Argentina 5.1 The Argument: Fiscal Federalism Rents against Subnational Democracy 5.2 Fiscal Federalism as a Source of Subnational Rentierism 5.3 From Fiscal Federalism Rents to Hybrid Regimes: Exploring Causal Mechanisms 5.4 Conclusion 6 The Determinants of Provincial Regimes in Argentina 6.1 Test 1: Cross-Section–Times-Series Data on the subnational democracy index 6.1.1 Operationalization 6.1.2 Estimation 6.1.3 Results 6.1.4 Results with Alternative Measures of Rentierism 6.1.5 Endogeneity: Spurious and Simultaneous Causality 6.1.6 Detecting Deviant Observations: Residual Analysis 6.2 Test 2: Cross-­Sectional Data on the Subjective Indices of Subnational Regimes 6.2.1 Operationalization 6.2.2 Estimation 6.2.3 Results 6.2.3.1 Results for the Two Second-Level Indices 6.2.3.2 Results for the Ten First-Level Indices 6.2.4 Endogeneity: Simultaneous Causality 6.3 Causal Mechanisms: The Evidence 6.4 Conclusion Part III. Comparison: Subnational Regimes Around the World 7 A Comparative Perspective: Levels of Subnational Democracy in Seven Federations and One Unitary Country 7.1 A Simple (and Rough) Alternative: The (Subnational) ACLP Index 7.2 A New Objective Measure: The Comparative Subnational Democracy Index 7.3 The Comparative Subnational Democracy Index Applied to Eight Nations 7.4 On the Cross-Country Validity of the CSDI 7.5 Conclusion Conclusion Policy Implications Appendix A Methodological Design of the Survey of Experts on Provincial Politics (SEPP) Appendix B From Survey Items to Indices of Subnational Democracy Appendix C Measurement Error Estimates References Index From The Racially Segregated 'jim Crow' Us South To The Many Electoral But Hardly Democratic Local Regimes In Argentina And Other Federal Democracies, The Political Rights Of Citizens Around The World Are Often Curtailed By Powerful Subnational Rulers. Hybrid Regimes Within Democracies Presents The First Comprehensive Study Of Democracy And Authoritarianism In All The Subnational Units Of A Federation. The Book Focuses On Argentina, But Also Contains A Comparative Chapter That Considers Seven Other Federations Including Germany, Mexico, And The Usa. The In-depth And Multidimensional Description Of Subnational Regimes In All Argentine Provinces Is Complemented With An Innovative Explanation For The Large Differences Between Those That Are Democratic And Those That Are 'hybrid', Complex Combinations Of Democratic And Authoritarian Elements. Putting Forward And Testing An Original Theory Of Subnational Democracy, Gervasoni Extends The Rentier-state Explanatory Logic From Resource Rents To A More General Concept, Such As 'fiscal Federalism Rents', And From The National To The Subnational Level-- Part I. Description: The Anatomy And Evolution Of Subnational Regimes. Defining And Measuring Subnational Regimes ; The Subnational Democracy Index: Trends In Provincial Regimes (1983-2015) ; Expert Survey Evidence: The Many Dimensions Of Subnational Democracy -- Part Ii. Explanation: The Causes Of Subnational Regimes. On The Rentier Effects Of Fiscal Federalism On Subnational Regimes ; Fiscal Federalism, Subnational Rentierism, And Hybrid Rprovincial Regimes In Argentina ; The Determinants Of Provincial Regimes In Argentina -- Part Iii. Comparison: Subnational Regimes Around The World. A Comparative Persepective: Levels Of Subnational Democracy In Seven Federations And One Unitary Country. Carlos Gervasoni. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Machine generated contents note: Introduction; Part I. Description: The Anatomy and Evolution of Subnational Regimes: 1. Defining and measuring subnational regimes; 2. Trends in Argentina's provincial regimes (1983-2015): the subnational democracy index; 3. The many dimensions of subnational democracy: evidence from a survey of experts; Part II. Explanation: The Causes of Subnational Regimes: 4. A fiscal and rentier approach to subnational democracy; 5. Fiscal federalism rents and hybrid regimes in Argentina's provinces; 6. Determinants of provincial regimes; Part III. Comparison: Subnational Regimes around the World: 7. Regional regimes beyond Argentina: the comparative subnational democracy index; Conclusion Scholars, applied researchers, and government officials interested in understanding and improving democracy, subnational governance, fiscal federalism, and the management of rent-like revenues, will be interested in this book. It will particularly appeal to analysts of Argentina, and of subnational regimes in Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Mexico, and the USA.