Absentee

The absentee is that person who practices absenteeism, that is, absent from his / her place of work or does not fulfill the obligations for which he / she was chosen.

That is, the absentee is that individual who does not attend his work center, or who does not fulfill the functions of his occupation or position.

But we are not only referring to absenteeism. It is worth highlighting a particular case of absentee, which is a landowner who is absent from his farm. This implies the abandonment of said soils, with the possible consequent stoppage of production.

This can generate a conflict in the context of a society where an important group of people does not own arable land, or owns very small plots (minifundios) whose exploitation is not profitable because economies of scale are not achieved.

That is to say, on the one hand, we have the landowners who abandon their property, leaving untapped productive space; and, at the other extreme, there is a significant mass of the population that is in the opposite position, with little or no land ownership, which prevents them from achieving economic development. This is a perfect setting for a conflict between the two groups.

Examples of absentee

An example of an absentee could be that of a person who was elected to assume the role of parliamentarian in the Legislative Power. However, at one point he is summoned to occupy a ministerial portfolio. Thus, he absent himself from his role as legislator to fulfill mainly his role as minister. Although he could eventually attend Parliament, for example, to vote in favor of a project of interest to him.

Another example of an abstainer could be that of a university student who has stopped going to class because he has decided to change careers. However, he has not yet told his parents and is thinking about how to do it.

We can also mention that in the Middle Ages there were absentee bishops who did not reside in their diocese, but in the Court. This, because they played a political role. This practice was forbidden at the Council of Trent in the 16th century.