ABSTRACT
The poverty and inequality of the interior of Argentina place a distinctive stamp on the political culture and the system of government in most of the region that reinforces its economic backwardness. This chapter argues the poverty, inequality, and economic backwardness of the interior of Argentina reinforce the political culture of the region. There are two concepts that are keys to an understanding of the political culture and the system of governance in the interior of Argentina. The first is what social anthropologists and political scientists call the patron-client relationship. The second is a type of political structure that political scientists label a patronage system or political machine. The chapter uses these two concepts to characterize the political system-or a large part of it-of the Argentine interior. It examines how politics and governance in the region help to lock in place its economic backwardness. The chapter examines the links between the political system, the political culture, and the economy.
