Abstract
The trajectories of political elites in Latin America have been shaped by two main factors: the extent of horizontal integration among elite individuals and factions, and the readiness of entrenched elites to incorporate elites heading emerging social and political forces. Political elites have thus displayed both circulation and continuity, albeit in degrees that have varied between countries and within them over time. Because the welfare of Latin American societies has always depended heavily on extracting and exporting natural resources, elite groups and factions have battled each other for control of this extraction and export and the largesse flowing from it. In a word, the economic basis of Latin American countries has fostered rent-seeking elites, an observation that remains relevant.
The author would like to acknowledge support from the Chilean Millennium Science Initiative (project NS130008) and the Center for Social Conflict and Cohesion Studies (COES, CONICYT/FONDAP/15130009).
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Rovira Kaltwasser, C. (2018). Political Elites in Latin America. In: Best, H., Higley, J. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Political Elites. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51904-7_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51904-7_18
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