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The Historical Roots of the Spatially Uneven State - Exploring Subnational Variation in State Capacity in Guatemala

Rodriguez Bolin, Nicolas LU (2018) STVM25 20181
Department of Political Science
Abstract
This paper explores the relationship between historical political conflicts and subnational variation in state capacity. I draw on new literature which suggests that internal patterns of state strength mirror the geographical distribution of socio-political conflicts during critical periods of institutional change. This general argument is placed within a broader society-centric theoretical framework of state-making, through which the Guatemalan state-building experience during the Revolutionary Decade (1944-1954) is analyzed. Based on historical data from archival and secondary sources, the statistical analysis reveals that the class-cleavage that structured state-building in Guatemala has had a positive effect on local fiscal capacity,... (More)
This paper explores the relationship between historical political conflicts and subnational variation in state capacity. I draw on new literature which suggests that internal patterns of state strength mirror the geographical distribution of socio-political conflicts during critical periods of institutional change. This general argument is placed within a broader society-centric theoretical framework of state-making, through which the Guatemalan state-building experience during the Revolutionary Decade (1944-1954) is analyzed. Based on historical data from archival and secondary sources, the statistical analysis reveals that the class-cleavage that structured state-building in Guatemala has had a positive effect on local fiscal capacity, but a non-significant impact on central state capabilities. I suggest that this negative finding may be the result of a lack of cohesion around a single political cause, which in turn may be a reflection of the complex mix of historical class, ethnic and regional tensions that historically have characterized the country. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Rodriguez Bolin, Nicolas LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVM25 20181
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
state capacity, Guatemala, cleavage structures, subnationalism
language
English
id
8955770
date added to LUP
2019-06-28 14:07:25
date last changed
2019-06-28 14:07:25
@misc{8955770,
  abstract     = {{This paper explores the relationship between historical political conflicts and subnational variation in state capacity. I draw on new literature which suggests that internal patterns of state strength mirror the geographical distribution of socio-political conflicts during critical periods of institutional change. This general argument is placed within a broader society-centric theoretical framework of state-making, through which the Guatemalan state-building experience during the Revolutionary Decade (1944-1954) is analyzed. Based on historical data from archival and secondary sources, the statistical analysis reveals that the class-cleavage that structured state-building in Guatemala has had a positive effect on local fiscal capacity, but a non-significant impact on central state capabilities. I suggest that this negative finding may be the result of a lack of cohesion around a single political cause, which in turn may be a reflection of the complex mix of historical class, ethnic and regional tensions that historically have characterized the country.}},
  author       = {{Rodriguez Bolin, Nicolas}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Historical Roots of the Spatially Uneven State - Exploring Subnational Variation in State Capacity in Guatemala}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}