¿Federal en teoría pero unitaria en la práctica? Una discusión sobre el federalismo y la provincialización de la política en Argentina

Abstract

According to numerous international observers, Argentina presents a strong federal system. However, there are divergent voices on the issue of how federal Argentina is in practice. Some domestic scholars, who focus their analyses on features of the fiscal federal structure, reach a very different conclusion. The present article advances a discussion of this controversy and focuses on the dynamic aspects of federalism in Argentina. I reflect on the reasons why the balance of power between national and subnational leaders has changed over time. An example of such changes is the increasing provincialization of politics. This article suggests that the answer to whether Argentina is only federal on paper does not lie on the incentives posed by national institutions; rather it is related to provincial dynamics per se and their effect on the overall electoral and party competition across territory.