The first in the line of succession: a scoping review of the literature on the vice presidency in Latin America

Abstract:

Recent political events have shown that the vice-president is a significant player in the political arena, not only in the Brazilian case but also in other Latin American countries. Some studies have indeed focused on the vice-presidency, but this interest is quite recent. This article maps the literature, identifying its main findings, and proposing an agenda for future research. To this end, we conducted a scoping review. This review technique requires transparent and replicable protocols for searching and selecting published studies. The review finds that the literature on the vice-presidency has focused on institutional aspects, on how political actors make decisions in the electoral arena about the VP candidate, and on the issue of succession. Future research should explore interparty negotiations on the nomination of running mates, the vice-presidents’ performance of their duties, and the growing tendency for women to take office as vice-president.

Keywords:
Vice-presidency; Latin America; presidentialism; scoping review