Beyond State Structure: Variation in the Competencies of Intermediate Collegiate Bodies in Latin America

Article

Abstract

This article compares intermediate collegiate bodies (ICBs) in eleven Latin American countries to classify their institutional competences and assess their autonomy beyond state form. Using systematic normative coding and a Rasch 1-PL model, it develops an index that weights competences according to their relative difficulty. The findings reveal significant heterogeneity, which cannot be explained solely by the federal/unitary divide but rather by the specific legal design of each country. Variation among unitary states challenges uniform assumptions about decentralization. The study highlights the role of ICBs as actors with differentiated normative, oversight, and political-control powers, and provides a replicable tool for comparing their autonomy. In doing so, it contributes to overcoming the federal bias in the literature and outlines a research agenda on ICBs in Latin America.