Factors affecting access and permanence of the Governmental political elite in Chile (1990-2010)

Authors

  • Bastián González Bustamante CISPO, Universidad de Los Lagos

Abstract

This article analyzes the factors affecting access and permanence of thegovernmental political elite in Chile from 1990 to 2010, utilizing data from a survey of 386 members of the elite who entered the political field. Only 199 cases from the survey qualify as part from the governmental elite. It presents a description of the group, a relevant permanence index, and a logistic binary regression model together with a Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). The results find a homogeneous group, and that the factors affecting access are not the same as those for permanence. It concludes that, although a technical profilesfacilitates access, political capital and previous participation in think tanks are more relevant for permanence in the highest political positions.    

Keywords:

Political elite, political capital, think tanks, QCA, Chile.