The David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) has awarded senior concentrator Jorge Ruiz the James R. and Isabel D. Hammond Thesis Prize on Spanish-speaking Latin American Studies for his thesis, Old Parties and New Cleavages: Puerto Rico’s Emerging Multi-Party System.
His thesis centered on the 2020 election, which saw five parties gain legislative representation – a historic moment given two parties, the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) and the New Progressive Party (PNP), have dominated Puerto Rican politics for half a century. For the first time, neither the PPD nor the PNP won a majority in the Senate – so what explains the unprecedented emergence of a multi-party system in Puerto Rico?
Jorge’s thesis addresses this puzzle by analyzing public opinion data, party platforms, and original interviews with officials from all five Puerto Rican parties. By showing that, although voter preferences and party positions historically revolved around Puerto Rico’s relationship with the United States, Puerto Ricans have recently become divided around social and economic issues. Nevertheless, the PPD and PNP failed to take clear positions on these emerging issues, creating an opportunity for new parties to succeed.
Arguing that these findings can be generalized beyond Puerto Rico, Jorge determined that party systems are likely to change when a critical mass of voters form strong preferences along a new political cleavage and established parties fail to adopt positions relevant to these new priorities. This framework provides an alternative to preexisting explanations for party system change, which have traditionally focused on the role of electoral institutions.
The DRCLAS prize committee unanimously voted Jorge as the winner of the prestigious award, noting they were “thoroughly impressed by [his] research and writing.”
The prize, which is recognized with a $2,000 grant, will be celebrated at the annual DRCLAS Certificate, Thesis Prize, and Fellowships Ceremony on May 22.