Abstract

GONZALEZ HERNANDEZ, José Roberto  and  GONZALEZ HERNANDEZ, Guadalupe Margarita. Between Autonomy and Clientelism: Zacatecas' Hometown Associations. Desacatos [online]. 2011, n.36, pp.85-106. ISSN 2448-5144.

Considering a comprehensive perspective of political clientelism, this article examines how Zacatecas' hometown associations based in the United States when operate in the framework of the 3×1 Program for Migrants, have adopted an oscillating relationship between autonomy and clientelism with local authorities and how this relationship has been functional for all the program participants. The success of the 3×1 Program in Zacatecas strengthens a "long route" clientelist network where exchanges between state and local authorities, hometown associations and people from small communities go beyond the material and get into the symbolic. Zacatecas' hometown associations can be viewed as not-subordinated mediators, as real social subjects. However, despite the autonomy of this mediator, the patronage network still may be used with political objectives.

Keywords : clientelism; political patronage; clientelist network; subordination; hometown associations; social subjects.

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