Substituting the State: The Effects of the National Federation of Colombian Coffee-Growers on Democratic Behaviors and Attitudes

Abstract

Prior to the dual transition of the 1980s and 90s, governments in Latin America and the developing world often relied on semi-private or corporatist institutions to provide both public goods such as education, healthcare and infrastructural development as well as to serve as an effective buffer between the masses and the political world. Although it was hypothesized that this institutional arrangement would not survive in free-market and democratic societies, scholars have recently taken note of the resiliency of Latin American corporatism into the 21st century. Through a systematic analysis of subnational Colombia and its National Coffee Federation, I show that in important ways, corporatist institutions continue to influence policy, politics, and publics in ways that are consistent with corporatism of a previous era. The results presented in this dissertation suggest that in many municipalities throughout the country, the Colombian government continues to rely on the Federation to lend it legitimacy among citizens while also encouraging citizens to participate in conventional behaviors and discourage them from participation in unconventional types of political participation. These findings have important implications for local governance, democratization and the development of civil society throughout the developing world.