Politics and Political Elites in Latin America

Manuel Alcántara Sáez is Full Professor at the University of Salamanca and member of the Instituto de Iberoamérica, Spain, and director of the Political Elites in Latin America project (PELA) at the same institution. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Universidad Complutense (Madrid). He has been visiting fellow at the Kellogg Institute and at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) and visiting professor, among others, at Georgetown University, Tulane University, IHEAL in Paris, ScienPo Lille, Kobe University, FLACSO Ecuador and UPB in Medellín (Colombia). He has also been Director of the Institute of Iberoamerica at the University of Salamanca (1994-2007), general Secretary of Latin American Political Science Association (2002-09), vice Provost of International Relations of the University of Salamanca (2007-09) and Director of FLACSO Spain (2014-18). His field research concerns Parliament Elites in Latin America, Parliamentary Performance in Latin America, Organization and internal structure of Latin American Political Parties and Professionalization of Politicians. His most recent books include El oficio de político (2020, 2nd edition) and Sistemas Políticos de América Latina (2013, 4th edition) and, as (co)editor, Politics and Politicians in Latin America (2008), Algo más que presidentes: El papel del Poder Legislativo en América Latina (2010), Elecciones y política en América Latina (2009-2011) (2013), Elecciones y cambios de elites en América Latina, 2014 y 2015 (2016). Política y democracia: Anversos y reversos (2016), Elecciones y partidos en América Latina en el cambio de ciclo (2018), Presidents and Democracy in Latin America (2018), América Latina vota (2017-2019) (2020). Mercedes García Montero is Professor in the area of Political Science and member of the Instituto de Iberoamérica at the University of Salamanca, Spain, and co-director of the Political Elites in Latin America Project (PELA) at the same institution. She has also been Director of the Instituto de Iberoamérica at the University of Salamanca (2015-2019). She holds a PhD in Political Science and Administration, Master in Latin American Studies and Degree in Sociology from the University of Salamanca. Specialist in Applied Social Research and Data Analysis, by the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS). She is a researcher at the Instituto de Iberoamérica of the University of Salamanca and has published various works on the Legislative Power in Latin America, including the books Presidentes y Parlamentos ¿quién controla la actividad legislativa en América Latina? (2010) and Funciones, procedimientos y escenarios: un análisis del poder legislativo en América Latina (2005), written with Manuel Alcántara and Francisco Sánchez López. His lines of research include political institutions, executive-legislative relations, political elites and parliaments in Latin America.  Cristina Rivas Pérez is Assistant Professor in the area of Political Science at the University of Salamanca, Spain, and a researcher at the Instituto de Iberoamérica. She is manager of the Political Elites in Latin America Project (PELA) at the same institution. She holds a PhD in Political Science and Administration, a PhD in Multivariate Statistics, a Master in Latin American Studies, and a Degree in Sociology, all from the University of Salamanca, and a Degree in Data Analysis from the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS).  Her lines of research are linked to the study of political elites, democracy, public opinion and research methodology in the social sciences. She has participated in research projects related to parliamentary elites and democratization processes in Latin America and the functioning of political institutions in the region.