As was often the case in the New World after independence, administration and politics were controlled by the remnants of colonial aristocracy. In Panama, this elite was a group of under ten extended families. Though Panama has made enormous advances in social mobility and racial integration, still much of economic and social life is controlled by a small number of families. The derogatory term "rabiblanco" ("white tail"), of uncertain origin, has been used for generations to refer to the usually Caucasian members of the elite families.