Proposal of an indicator to measure the professionalization of election campaigns: The case of Colombia

Abstract

An indicator is proposed that measures the degree of professionalization of presidential campaigns in political systems where there is high personalization and low institutionalization of political parties. The professionalization of Colombia’s 2014 presidential campaign is measured: describing both the organizational dimension and internal structure of the campaign, and the communication strategy used to persuade the voters. Dimensions and categories are established that show the development and evolution of the techniques used in the presidential campaign.