Breaking democracy: illegal political finance and organized crime in Guatemala
Guatemala has been struggling in its road towards consolidated democracy since the mid-80s when its first democratic government was elected. Internal conflict is no rare occurrence in a country which civil war ended relatively recently, in 1996, and lasted over 30 years. Today, while Guatemala’s eco...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2021
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| In: |
Crime, law and social change
Year: 2021, Volume: 75, Issue: 1, Pages: 21-43 |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Summary: | Guatemala has been struggling in its road towards consolidated democracy since the mid-80s when its first democratic government was elected. Internal conflict is no rare occurrence in a country which civil war ended relatively recently, in 1996, and lasted over 30 years. Today, while Guatemala’s economy is the largest of Central America, inequality, poverty and social exclusion - particularly of indigenous people, are rife. Organized crime is also a prevalent concern and an imminent threat to the rule of law. Criminal investigations have evidenced how public institutions and policies are compromised by a rotten political finance system with pervasive links with drug trafficking structures. This paper (1) analyzes the legislative framework (and its implementation) for political financing in Guatemala; (2) identifies how organized crime uses those gaps to filter dirty money in politics, and, more generally, in public life; and (3) pinpoints priority areas for sustainable reform. |
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| Item Description: | Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 42-43 |
| ISSN: | 1573-0751 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10611-020-09918-x |