Political elites, agency discretion and anti-corruption governance in Chile

Abstract

Between 2015 and 2018, Chile experienced several political corruption scandals that implicated the country's political elite across the party spectrum. However, the outcomes of the ensuing judicial investigations have faced wide-spread criticism for being unsatisfactory, failing to set legal precedence, and weakening Chile's anti-corruption governance. This article addresses the gap between Chile's strong structural and formal conditions and the limited legal consequences faced by politicians involved in corruption. It examines the factors that allowed most politicians and their allies to avoid significant legal penalties. Drawing on different literatures related to professional politicians and political elites, institutional weakness, and agency discretion, the article analyses four prominent political corruption cases. We argue that favourable appointments of sympathetic executives allowed the Chilean political elite to exert control over the discretionary powers of state agencies involved in the legal processes. The article relies on a press review, secondary literature, and expert interviews.