Javier Corrales is Dwight W. Morrow 1895 Professor of Political Science at Amherst College. The son of Cubans living in exile in Puerto Rico, Corrales has visited almost every Spanish-speaking country in the Americas, as well as Brazil. His research on Latin America has focused on the quality of democracy, regime type, presidential powers, political parties, education reforms, economic policymaking, energy security and international relations. His books include Fixing Democracy: Why Constitutional Change Often Fails to Enhance Democracy in Latin America (2018) and, with Michael Penfold, Dragon in the Tropics: Venezuela and the Legacy of Hugo Chávez, 2nd ed. (Brookings, 2015).
A worthy sequel to Corrales's earlier classic Dragon in the
Tropics, Autocracy Rising rigorously examines the paradox of the
perseverance of the Venezuelan dictator Nicol�s Maduro in the midst
of economic collapse and severe international sanctions. Corrales
offers three compelling explanations for Maduro's survival:
asymmetric party system fragmentation, wherein the strength of the
ruling party (rooted in deep networks of clientelism and cronyism)
eclipses a fragmented opposition; institutional destruction and
colonization, with the state exercising tremendous control over the
electoral authorities, the coercive apparatus, and the courts (what
Corrales labels 'autocratic legalism'); and, most originally,
institutional innovation ('functional fusion') in which
institutions begin to multitask. The military acquires business
functions, a constituent assembly becomes a legislature, local
political councils become food distribution networks, and criminal
syndicates acquire some of the functions of the state. In addition,
Corrales provides valuable comparative case studies: Nicaragua
offers a similar story of ascendant authoritarianism, but Colombia
and Ecuador suggest that liberal democracy can fight back. Somewhat
surprisingly, Corrales concludes that Maduro's rule remains
tenuous, well short of true autocratic consolidation.
Autocracy Rising is a timely and important contribution to the
study of a country that has been perplexing to policy-makers and
under studied by academics.... Well-documented, carefully argued,
accessible research on Venezuela, from experts with experience in
the country, is hard to come by. In light of this gap, the book
deserves the attention of anyone interested in the rise of
autocracy in Venezuela. The issue has spurred countless op-eds,
speeches and even episodes of TV shows, but it had yet to be the
subject of the careful treatment that Corrales undertakes in his
book. In addition to making a valuable contribution to comparative
politics, the book is relevant to policy-makers tackling the thorny
question of democratic recession in the western hemisphere.
In this empirically and theoretically important book, Corrales
explains Venezuela's transition to full authoritarianism under
Nicol�s Maduro. This transition seems surprising because the
multiple crises the semi-authoritarian regime faced by the
mid-2010s might well have caused its collapse instead. Corrales
anchors his explanation on two key variables, both broadly useful
for comparative analysis....This is a pathbreaking work based on a
comprehensive literature and is both definitive on the case of
Venezuela and innovative for broader analysis of democratic
backsliding. Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through
faculty; professionals.
Javier Corrales did it again! After coauthoring the definitive
account on the rise of Hugo Ch�vez, now he explains how his
anointed successor, Nicol�s Maduro, was able to become a
full-fledged autocrat, despite the multiple obstacles in his path.
The book offers major contributions on the institutional sources of
democratic backsliding and for understanding the downfall of
Venezuela into one of the poorest and most autocratic nations in
Latin America. A must read.
This is a must-read book for scholars and practitioners interested
in the causes of democratic backsliding and authoritarian
entrenchment, written by one of the world's foremost experts on
these themes. Using rich and nuanced evidence from contemporary
Venezuela, Autocracy Rising shows how asymmetrical party system
fragmentation and executive institutional capturing and innovation
help explain transitions from semi- to full-fledged
authoritarianism. In this way, Javier Corrales sheds light on one
of the most important -- yet poorly understood -- political
dynamics of our time.
Venezuela's political and economic implosion has baffled analysts,
policy-makers and investors. Not Javier Corrales. His rigorous and
original body of work sheds powerful light on the sources of
Venezuela's tragedy and their likely evolution. Corrales'
insightful new book will be an indispensable reference for those
seeking to understand where Venezuela is going and why. A must
read.
Well-documented, carefully argued, accessible research on
Venezuela, from experts with experience in the country, is hard to
come by. In light of this gap, the book deserves the attention of
anyone interested in the rise of autocracy in Venezuela. The issue
has spurred countless op-eds, speeches and even episodes of TV
shows, but it had yet to be the subject of the careful treatment
that Corrales undertakes in his book. In addition to making a
valuable contribution to comparative politics, the book is relevant
to policy-makers tackling the thorny question of democratic
recession in the western hemisphere.
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