Continuity and change in Argentine interest group activity and lobbying practices

Abstract

Abstract For much of Argentina's history, key groups representing labour, big business and agriculture went directly to the executive branch rather than working through the relatively weak national Congress or political parties. Political instability both contributed to, and resulted from, this tendency. Since the return to democracy in 1983, the process of interest articulation has manifested both continuity and change. Although the system remains distinct from the traditional models of pluralism and corporatism in the U.S. and Western Europe, the adoption of ‘neoliberal’ economic policies and the gradual institutionalization of democracy have led to an incremental but, as yet, incomplete shift from a form of corporatism to one that is more pluralistic. While neither globalization nor pluralism guarantee democratic stability, the resultant changes in these contexts are likely to be more conducive to democratic stability and government accountability in Argentina than the old system of interest articulation. However, Argentina has no general law regulating lobbying practices, despite efforts to pass one in the recent years. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.