Abstract
This article addresses a key puzzle in comparative politics: how political competition persists in subnational dominant party systems without producing turnover. While existing scholarship attributes durability to rentierism or institutional manipulation, it struggles to explain sustained opposition activity and high participation. We examine Formosa, Argentina, governed by the Justicialist Party for over three decades, using archival research, 20 elite interviews and electoral data (2001–2021). We propose ‘contained pluralism’, whereby institutional design and electoral rules channel competition into non-executive offices. This strategy preserves a competitive façade, manages dissent and maintains high engagement while securing continuous executive dominance.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Territory, Politics, Governance : Journal of the Regional Studies Association |
| Early online date | 26 Jun 2026 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 26 Jun 2026 |
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.Keywords
- Formosa
- Dominant party system
- Subnational politics
- Contained pluralism
- Political competition
- Argentina
- political competition
- subnational regimes
- contained pluralism
- dominant party system
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Political Science and International Relations
- Geography, Planning and Development
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'How does political competition persist in dominant party systems? A case study of contained pluralism'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Cite this
- APA
- Standard
- Harvard
- Vancouver
- Author
- BIBTEX
- RIS