Tracing the Process of Borrowing with Fieldwork

The theory proposed in this book makes several assumptions about actors’ preferences and the process by which borrowing decisions are made. Qualitative evidence is needed to assess the accuracy of these assumptions. This chapter introduces the rationale for the case selection: identify three countries that are as similar as possible in many dimensions (history, geography, culture, economic and political system, etc.) but represent the variation in the key independent variable as proposed by theory. Ecuador was chosen as a representative of a Corporatist Coalition between Labor and Industry, Colombia stands for a Capital Coalition between Finance and Industry, while Peru represents a Consumer Coalition between Labor and Finance. The chapter also offers details on the qualitative methodology, such as recruitment process and interview method.