Presidentialism and political conflicts in Argentina: on political instability at national and provincial level (1983-2006)

Abstract

This article presents the preliminary results of a research project that studies the political instability of the argentine presidential systems, both in the national and sub-national government, in the period 1983-2006. The first section proposes a classification of the forms of political instability in the presidential democracies and identifies the variables to undertake, from a compared perspective, the study of the relation between political and institutional factors and classes of presidential political instability. The paper concludes with an initial hypothesis on the relation that is studied: that the divided party more than the divided government qualifies as a relevant political factor to give place to the different types of instability that exhibits the presidential dynamics in Argentina, both in national and sub-national level between 1983 and 2006. Likewise, that the potential of instability enlarges when the coalitions that govern are symmetrical (analogous force among associates).