Dominican Politics in the Twenty First Century

Jacqueline Jiménez Polanco is Associate Professor of Sociology at Bronx Community College of the City University of New York (CUNY). She holds a Ph.D. in political science and sociology from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid with a concentration in political changes in contemporary democracies. Dr. Jiménez Polanco is the author of Los partidos políticos en la República Dominicana: Actividad electoral y desarrollo organizativo, Corrupción y cartelización de la política en la República Dominicana, and La corrupción política en la República Dominicana y la entronización del partido cartel. She was granted a PSC-CUNY Award and a CUNY Dominican Studies Institute Research Fellowship in 2022.Ernesto Sagás is Professor of Ethnic Studies at Colorado State University. He has a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Florida with a concentration in Latin American studies. Dr. Sagás is the author of Race and Politics in the Dominican Republic, and co-editor of The Dominican People: A Documentary History, and Dominican Migration: Transnational Perspectives. In 2022, he was a Fulbright U.S. scholar in La Paz, Bolivia.

"In this work, Jacqueline Jiménez Polanco and Ernesto Sagás lead a much-needed intellectual effort that helps us understand the case of the Dominican Republic as another one among those that make up "weary" democracies. From their preoccupation with the problems of representative democracy, their vision is sharp and aids in the comprehension of the impact of the authoritarian past on the present, as well as of the perversion of existing rampant corruption. Their analysis represents an indispensable work to situate the Dominican Republic at the heart of studies in comparative politics."Manuel Alcántara, Professor of Political Science, Universidad de Salamanca, Spain"Informed by sound research and careful analysis, this edited volume introduces readers to a wealth of knowledge in a skillfully stitched-together​ sequential and well-articulated narrative that discusses political life in a growing democratic Dominican society during the last half century. In six chapters, the authors examine actors, actions, and ideological beliefs and how these compete one against the other in a fierce struggle that, in the end, shows a confrontation between those who have and those who have not."​​Ramona Hernández, Professor of Sociology and Director of The CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, City College, The City University of New York"Remarkable for its multidimensional approach and thematic richness, this historically-informed look into contemporary politics in the Dominican Republic in its own terms as well as in relation to the larger geography of Dominicans abroad is a tour de force that will engage readers studying the Caribbean, Latin America, and other societies sharing a colonial past. The volume’s chapters offer sharp takes on gender relations, racial politics, corruption, anti-corruption forces, autocratic legacies, grassroots social movements, and instances of democratic advances. The authors collectively weave a tapestry of a complex society that reveals a drive to break with the past which is as strong as the entrenched forces that conspire to halt democratic equality and inclusion."Silvio Torres-Saillant, Professor of English, Dean’s Professor of the Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences, Syracuse University

• List of Figures and TablesList of ContributionsAcknowledgementsPrologue: Reflections on Patterns of Change and Continuity in Dominican PoliticsJonathan Hartlyn Introduction: Revisiting Dominican PoliticsJacqueline Jiménez Polanco1. The Transition and Consolidation of Democracy in the Dominican Republic: Continuities and DisruptionsCarlos Morel and Anselmo Muñiz 2. Democracy, Continuismo, and Human Rights in the Dominican RepublicErnesto Sagás3. Distributive Politics: Clientelism and Social Expenditure in the Dominican RepublicAna Belén Benito Sánchez 4. The Odebrecht Fraud: An Analysis of Corruptive Practices in the PLD’s Cartel PoliticsJacqueline Jiménez Polanco5. A New Expression of dominicanidad: The Dominican ID Card, Technology and RaceEve Hayes de Kalaf6. We Want to Be Counted Too: The Evolution of Dominican Overseas Voting, 2004- 2020Ernesto SagásConclusion: Continuity and Change in Dominican Politics: Comparative PerspectivesErnesto SagásIndex