Elitism in the Aisle: A Long-Run Surname Measure of Legislative Elite Composition in Chile, 1834-2020

2026-07-09

AI Summary

Sparse historical records have long hindered systematic longitudinal analysis of the relationship between descriptive and substantive representation. This study addresses this gap by constructing a novel surname-based measure of persistent elite status, establishing a dynamic demographic baseline from 22.65 million birth records, and applying archival data with surname-matching algorithms to produce the first quantitative analysis of Chilean congressional elite composition from 1834 to 2020. The findings reveal a marked decline in the share of elite legislators—from approximately 50% in the 1860s to around 12% in the 2010s—with a pronounced drop following the 1925 constitutional reform. Moreover, between 1910 and 1950, elite and non-elite lawmakers systematically diverged in legislative focus, with the former predominantly shaping state governance and the latter championing labor-related issues, underscoring a structural link between social origin and legislative agenda.

Abstract

The link between descriptive and substantive representation is well established in the literature but is hard to trace historically, where class records are thin. We introduce a replicable enduring-elite surname measure, pairing a contemporary socioeconomic criterion with historical elite registers, and apply it across the Chilean Congress, 1834-2020. Against a dynamic population reference built from 22.65 million birth registrations, the enduring-elite share of Congress falls from about half in the 1860s to about 12% in the 2010s, with a sharp drop of 11 to 13 points around the 1925 constitutional reform. In 1910-1950, composition co-moves with the legislative agenda, net of party: common-surname legislators emphasize labor foremost, elite legislators a statecraft agenda of defense, foreign affairs, and administration. Across this window, who sits in Congress moves together with what Congress attends to.

Problem

• elite representation
• legislative composition
• historical elites
• descriptive representation
• Chilean Congress

Innovation

• enduring-elite surname measure
• descriptive representation
• historical elite tracking
• legislative agenda
• socioeconomic elites