Georgetown Americas Institute

Introducing SIGLA 

Celis-Madrid gave an overview of the project’s goals and structure. He explained that SIGLA is designed to provide curated and comparable data on the political and legal institutions of Latin American countries. Unlike broader indices or summaries of governance, SIGLA offers granular, detailed data that enables users to explore how countries design and implement their political and legal systems at the institutional level. 

Celis-Madrid emphasized SIGLA’s role in increasing transparency in Latin American governance. The project aims to be a tool for researchers, policymakers, and journalists, offering data that is accessible and easy to navigate. By breaking down complex political and legal systems into individual variables, SIGLA makes it easier for users to compare institutions across countries and track changes over time. He also noted that SIGLA provides a rigorous, data-driven perspective on governance, offering insights into both the formal and functional aspects of institutions.

Using SIGLA to Analyze Constitutional and Judicial Change

Kurowski showcased how SIGLA can be used for detailed comparative analysis. She illustrated the database’s utility by examining the constitutional rights and specialized court systems in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, countries that have distinct political and judicial systems and varying experiences with legal reforms.

Kurowski explained that SIGLA offers data on the constitutional provisions of each country, breaking them down into variables that highlight specific rights, powers, and institutional structures. She emphasized how SIGLA captures the text of the constitution and the changes that occur over time, enabling users to track evolving governance frameworks. Kurowski used SIGLA data to demonstrate  how Brazil’s constitution has remained relatively stable with robust protections for social rights, while Colombia’s constitution has been reformed multiple times, particularly in relation to human rights and political representation.

In discussing specialized court systems, Kurowski explained that SIGLA identified these courts based on their structural attributes, such as having a dedicated head court and specific appellate processes. She noted that while labor courts in Mexico exist and perform crucial functions, SIGLA does not categorize them as specialized courts, based on their structure and appeal process. Kurowski highlighted that the distinction is important for researchers interested in understanding the diversity of judicial systems across the region, and the database will be updated as new reforms, such as Mexico’s recent judicial changes, are implemented.

Methodology and Political Context in Data Collection

Kapiszewski then discussed SIGLA's methodology and the challenges involved in compiling and coding legal and institutional data. She explained that the SIGLA team follows a literal approach to interpreting constitutional texts and institutional frameworks, meaning that the data reflects the formal provisions of the constitution, laws, and regulations as written. This avoids the complexities of judicial interpretations or political shifts that might alter the practical functioning of institutions over time.

Kapiszewski also addressed some of the challenges SIGLA faces in dealing with the political context of each country. She pointed to Colombia as an example, where frequent ministerial changes and political instability make it difficult to maintain a consistent dataset. Despite these challenges, SIGLA strives to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data it provides, even when faced with such dynamic political environments. She also discussed how SIGLA has been working to update the database in response to recent legal reforms in countries like Mexico, where significant changes to the judiciary and constitutional structure have impacted the legal landscape.

“SIGLA users can also find data to assess and compare these specialized court systems on core attributes of the systems themselves like autonomy, transparency, as well as their history, their mission, their organization, and leadership structure.”-Diana Kapiszewski

Q&A: Legal Reforms, Specialized Courts, and Political Instability

When asked how SIGLA handles judicial interpretations and changes to constitutional law over time, Kapiszewski clarified that SIGLA does not track judicial interpretations, as the database is focused on the formal, written provisions of constitutions and laws. While judicial bodies, including supreme courts, often reinterpret constitutional texts, SIGLA’s goal is to capture the formal legal structure, which can then be used as a baseline for further analysis.

Regarding the inclusion of labor courts in Mexico within the definition of specialized courts, Kurowski explained that SIGLA uses a specific definition of specialized courts, which requires a distinct, hierarchical structure with a top-level court and a specialized appellate process. While labor courts in Mexico are important, they do not meet these criteria and are therefore not classified as specialized courts in the database—though this classification may change if recent reforms to the judicial system in Mexico affect the structure of these courts.