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This article argues that in Colombia, decentralization and electoral reforms adopted in the late 1980s and in the 1991 Constitution-designed to improve democratic quality-brought about a gradual deinstitutionalization of this country's traditional party system as an unintended consequence. Building upon resource-based theories of party configuration, we contend that in developing countries, where resources are usually crucial for party aggregation, "democratizing" reforms designed to distribute power and resources in the political system can reduce local candidates' incentives to join and remain loyal to political parties, particularly when those parties' reputations are weak. In Colombia, these reforms (i) reduced the power of intermediate-level party leaders over the distribution of selective incentives, making these leaders less important for local politicians, and (ii) gave more political and financial autonomy to local candidates, reducing their need to join parties in order to advance their electoral goals. As a result, party cohesion and discipline become difficult to maintain, and the party system gradually deinstitutionalizes.

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rEsuMEnLa elección de Ollanta Humala en mayo del 2011 hizo pensar que este año podrían darse cambios sustanciales en la política peruana. si bien en el 2011 el perú sí experimentó cambios políticos que dejan algunas preguntas abiertas sobre el futuro, la imagen que presentamos en este reporte es fundamentalmente una de continuidad, tanto en la forma de hacer política como en los factores que afectan la misma. en este reporte nos centramos en la política peruana en el 2011, aunque en algunos casos que lo ameriten revisamos eventos del 2010. resaltamos aquellos aspectos que creemos hacen interesante al caso peruano desde una perspectiva comparada.Palabras clave: perú, democracia, conflictos sociales, elecciones, partidos políticos. AbstrAct The election of Ollanta Humala in