Abstract
Clientelism is a deeply ingrained informal political institution in Paraguay and a source of continuity relative to political reforms and social and demographic changes, particularly democratization and the advent of electoral party alternation. This article examines Paraguay’s post-dictatorial politics (1992-2023), engaging with critical juncture and institutional change theory to analyze continuity and evolution in clientelist political systems. It argues that formal democratization, rather than eliminating the informal practice of clientelism, produced a process of gradual institutional conversion from a monopolistic form of clientelism to a more competitive and ideologically pluralistic form of clientelist interest representation in Paraguay.
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