Elite Networks, State Capture, and Democratic Development in Central America

The 2017 Tinker Field Research Grants facilitated my trips to both Guatemala City, Guatemala, and San Salvador, El Salvador to conduct research on elite networks, land tenure, and state-countryside relationships in both countries. In particular, it allowed me to conduct archival research at the two largest archives in the region and interact with local academics and government officials. The former allowed me to collect voluminous data on historical land tenure patterns and agricultural elites. The latter helped me better understand the history and unique circumstances of each country. The novel data I collected will eventually be the foundation for econometric analysis of land tenure and state-countryside relationships. I am currently in the process of digitizing part of the data I obtained from the archives to eventually guide my econometric analysis of land tenure systems in the region; I hope the analysis will eventually form the basis for an academic article.