Decentralization and Party Politics in the Dominican Republic

151 Pages·2014·9.63 MB·English

by  Christopher Mitchell (auth.)

Decentralization and Party Politics in the
Dominican Republic
DOI: 10.1057/9781137353122
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DOI: 10.1057/9781137353122
Decentralization and
Party Politics in the
Dominican Republic
Christopher Mitchell
Professor Emeritus of Politics,
New York University
DOI: 10.1057/9781137353122
decentralization and party politics in the dominican republic
Copyright © Christopher Mitchell, 2014.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 ISBN 978-1-137-35311-5
All rights reserved.
First published in 2014 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN: 978–1–349–46956–7 ISBN: 978–1–137–35312–2 (eBook)
DOI: 10.1057/9781137353122
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from
the Library of Congress.
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
First edition: 2014
www.palgrave.com/pivot
For Oliver, Th ea, Jasper, Sylvie, Julian,
Felix, and Lucy
DOI: 10.1057/9781137353122
Contents
List of Tables viii
Acknowledgments ix
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms xi
1 Introduction 1
2 Measures and Initiatives Favoring
Decentralization, 1994–2008 6
3 Th e Deep Roots and Local Consequences of
Dominican Centralism 13
4 A Decentralizing Coalition Finds
Political Leverage 22
5 Party Alliances, the Municipios, and
Decentralization 42
6 Dominican Decentralization Moves toward
Maturity, 1996–2013 72
7 Pushback against Decentralization, and
Its Links with Infl uence over Nominations 96
8 Assessing Alternative Explanations of
Dominican Decentralization 112
vi DOI: 10.1057/9781137353122
Contents vii
9 Pro-decentralization Strategies for
the Future 118
Bibliography 127
Index 133
DOI: 10.1057/9781137353122
List of Tables
4.1 Voting for major Dominican parties,
1962–2012 32
4.2a Deputies’ seats won in Dominican elections,
by party, 1978–2010 33
4.2b Senate seats won in Dominican
elections, by party, 1978–2010 33
4.3 Municipalities won in Dominican
elections, by party, 1978–2010 34
4.4 Structural changes in the Dominican
political party system, 1966–2012 37
5.1 Unstable alliances among Dominican
political parties on municipal issues,
1994–2010 43
5.2 Central government funds provided
for distribution among the municipalities,
1995–2013 50
5.3 Impacts on decentralization of selected
crucial Dominican interparty moments,
1994–2007 65
6.1 Proportion of eligible citizens taking
part in Dominican Participatory Budgeting
assemblies, 2005–2009 82
viii DOI: 10.1057/9781137353122
Acknowledgments
Th e passage of eight years in preparing this book has
aff orded two important side benefi ts. It enabled me to
observe the development of Dominican decentralization
eff orts over a period extended enough to help me grasp
some of its dynamics in a way that a quicker schedule
would not have provided. In addition, multiple study visits
to the Dominican Republic allowed me to work with many
wonderful colleagues—some long-established friends, and
some new ones. I am grateful to them all.
Ramonina Brea of the “Madre y Maestra” Catholic
University (UCMM) in Santo Domingo provided impor-
tant encouragement, critiques, and background publica-
tions. She and her colleagues also asked me to prepare a
chapter that appeared (in Spanish) in a volume published
by the University in 2012: Flavio Darío Espinal, et al.,
Presidencialismo y democracia en la sociedad Dominicana
(1994–2010). It was an honor to be included in that publi-
cation, and I am grateful for the University’s permission
to use substantial parts of that text in the present book.
Miguel Ceara Hatton introduced me to the decentrali-
zation-related work of the United Nations Development
Programme’s (UNDP) Human Development research unit;
José del Castillo’s wry and deeply informed viewpoint on
Dominican reform eff orts continued to off er very valuable
guidance. John Gagain shared his experiences in pursuing
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in several
Dominican communities, while Francis Jorge and Juan
Elvin Figueroa of Consejo Nacional de Reforma del Estado
(CONARE) and Federación Dominicana de Municipios
DOI: 10.1057/9781137353122 ix