Report revealed The democratic quality of the Argentine provinces. There they highlighted what Rulers They have strong aspects of civil liberties and inclusion, whereas In others They warned of the dangers To institutionalism due to the deficit in judicial independence, partisan trust, and media pluralism.
The report, titled “The Democratic Quality of the Argentine Provinces,” was prepared by the Insight 21 research center of the Siglo University 21. The aim is to highlight the strong aspects of regional democracies and detail the main criticisms.
The main findings of the research indicate this There is an absence of extremes: no Argentine province has reached the levels of “high quality” or “established democracy” and no instances of “low quality” or “hybrid democracy” have been recorded.
“The report presents a general panorama of the governorates that are going through the stage of consolidating democracy.”They confirmed from Siglo XXI University.
Which governorates are the best and which are the worst?
The research, promoted by the International Institute for Democracy, Human Rights and Business, defined the findings along five dimensions: Electoral process and pluralism; government performance; political participation; Democratic political culture and civil liberties.
The study analyzed the quality of democracy in 23 counties and CABA Based on expert surveys. No region reached the level of “enhanced democracy” (high quality), but no hybrid or low-quality systems were detected.
It was operationalized through a questionnaire addressed to experts from across the country, especially academics, journalists and political scientists. Between March and June 2025.
“Weaknesses and strengths at the provincial level are key data for federalism, and working to improve democracy in the provinces means strengthening Argentine democracy as a whole. Knowledge and science are the foundation of development, and at Insight 21 we seek to strengthen that contribution through academic production: research that goes beyond the university environment to influence decision-making and innovation, in both the public and private sectors. Reports like this are an example of how this perspective becomes evidence of democracy strengthening, said Dr. Florencia Rubiolo, Director of Insight 21.
It was the dimension with the best performance Electoral process and pluralism: Even in provinces with lower results, critical levels were not recorded. The cities of Capa, Misiones and Tierra del Fuego stood out in this dimension.
Moreover, relatively high levels of Civil libertiesespecially in the governorates La Pampa, Tierra del Fuego and Rio NegroIn most governorates, experts agreed that basic freedoms of expression, organization, and protest exist.
However, low scores in some jurisdictions reveal problems associated with judicial independence and the potential political use of public media.
Distance was the greatest weakness Government performance: Chubut, Gogoy and Santa Cruz It received the lowest scores, indicating the centrality of conservatives in setting the agenda and the limited power of legislative power.
regarding political participation, The results show low levels of citizen participation: the highest value was observed Neuquenwhile provinces such as Salta, Catamarca and Buenos Aires They hit the lowest level. “These results reflect a lack of interest in politics, lack of participation in social organizations and weak incentives to mobilize citizens,” they said.
Finally, distance Democratic political culture It provided contradictory results: the maximum result was in counties such as Pampa and La Riojawhile the minimum corresponds to Capa and Chubut.
“Despite the majority’s commitment to democracy as a system of government, a large percentage of citizens value the idea of strong leadership that centralizes power, which can strain the foundations of democratic institutions,” the think tank said.
Other notable results were: Women’s participation: In many provinces, mechanisms have been observed to ensure greater inclusion and equality, such as: Kappa and Mendoza Which have been identified as the jurisdictions that have achieved the greatest progress in this area, Whether in parties or in internal elections.
On the other hand, on Trust in political parties, The results were very low in almost all provinces: this structural weakness of parties is repeated across all dimensions and constitutes one of the greatest risks to the consolidation of democracy at the provincial level.
The report’s findings present a scenario with “a solid foundation and opportunities to improve the quality of democracy in the Argentine provinces,” especially on issues related to the independence of the judiciary and strengthening the role of the legislature.
They considered from “Insight 21” that “deep reforms are required to enhance institutional performance and citizen participation.”
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