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"Intergovernmental Relations in Latin America: Determinants and Dynamics" published on by Oxford University Press.

The present article provides a summary of the most important political events in the United States during 2012. It offers a discussion of the economic crisis and the main domestic and international issues. The focus of attention, however, is on the most relevant event of the year: the general elections that led to the reelection of Barack Obama as well as on the electoral campaign and election results. I advance an interpretation of the Democratic victory and the resulting divided government based on key notions about political polarization, the transformation of the American median voter, the social coalition behind Obamas reelection, and the effect of gerrymandering on congressional districts. Adapted from the source document.

What accounts for the consolidation of party organisations? The specialised literature has stressed the importance of institutions in shaping the ways in which political parties organise. However, little attention has been paid to the role of federalism. We argue that in federal settings, party territorial organisational strategies condition their capacity to become consolidated parties. We illustrate our theory with an analysis of the development of conservative parties in Argentina and Mexico to explain their different levels of consolidation.