Table 4.1

Factors Affecting the Role of Subnational Actors in Policymaking

Institutional features	Argentina	Brazil	Colombia	Mexico	Venezuela
Federal Structure	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Extent of fiscal resources available to governors	High	High	High	Moderate	Moderate
Territorial chamber	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Malapportionment	High	High	Moderate	Low	Low
Are legislative elections concurrent with elections for governors or presidents?	Partial with governors and presidents	Yes; in 1986 and 1990, with governors; after 1994, with presidents and governors	Neither	Neither	Yes until 1999; only very infrequently with one or the other thereafter
Do legislative districts coincide with regions or provinces?	Yes	Yes	Only chamber	Only senate	Yes
Do governors play major role in the nomination/election chances of legislators?	Yes	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
Can governors reward legislators with positions?	Yes	Yes	No ^a	Yes	Yes
Are governorships launching platforms for successful presidential campaigns?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes, since 1990s	Yes, since 1990s
^a Mayors of major cities in Colombia tend to have more resources with which to reward legislators than governors do. Source: Authors’ compilations.