How Does the Evangelical Growth Transform into Political Representation? Comparing Brazil, Colombia and Chile

ABSTRACT

Why does the evangelical political representation in Latin American parliaments vary so much? Based on a study of the cases of Brazil, Colombia and Chile, I argue that the growth of the evangelical population, per se, does not necessarily translate into a greater number of elected evangelicals. The transformation of evangelical growth into political representation is mediated by political institutions and the internal structure of the churches.

KEYWORDS:
evangelicals; pentecostals; churches; elections; Latin America