In "The Origins of Political Order" FranAcis Fukuyama, an American political scientist, traces a centuries-long battle be- tween a "natural human propensity to fa- vour family and friends", which when embedded in political systems is called patrimonialism, and the "countervailing incentives" of a meritocratic state, the rule of law and accountable government. In Latin America, Mr Fukuyama thinks, pat- rimonialism thrived, mainly because it did so too in colonial Spain. Elites have been accustomed to exploiting the state for private ends. This is one reason why the region has suffered from inequality and why the rule of law has been weak. In Chile the law is upheld better than elsewhere. And its president, Michelle Ba- chelet, has made reducing inequality the centrepiece of her second term in office, which began a year ago. Yet it transpires that some in Ms Bachelet's Chile are more equal than others.
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