What is missing to overcome political clientelism? The clientelism crisis in Galicia (Spain)

Abstract

This paper tries to identify the conditions that produce the crisis in clientelist parties and explain the causal mechanisms of their deterioration. The original empirical material is developed in Galicia (Spain) and consists of case studies about political clientelism in a municipal arena, in a provincial council, and in a case of revolt against the local cacique. The paper uses an analysis of mechanisms, process tracking and small-N comparison. Each case study describes a electoral district led by a patron who coordinates a clientelist network, distributes favors to its voters, has large influences on the party machine and wins elections.