Political Elites in Federalized Countries: The Case of Spain (1980-2005)
Xavier Coller, Helder Ferreira do Vale, and Chris MeissnerThis paper explores the social profile of the regional elite that has emerged in Spain since the de¬moc¬ratization and federalization of the country. For the first time, researchers present data about cru¬cial variables like gender, place of birth, age, education, and profession. They make inter¬region¬al comparisons, put their data on an international perspective, and try to explain some un¬expected findings, such as the behavior of political elites in Catalonia and Castile-La Mancha. The authors compare also the social profile of MPs of the two largest parties and show that the gap between society and political elite has been reduced over the years. The paper offers a research agenda.