In this Book
- Electing Chavez: The Business of Anti-neoliberal Politics in Venezuela
- Book
- 2010
- Published by: University of Pittsburgh Press
- Series: Pitt Latin American Series
summary
Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez was the first anti-neoliberal presidential candidate to win in the region. Electing Chávez examines the circumstances that facilitated this pivotal election. By 1998, Venezuela had been rocked by two major scandals—the exchange rate incidents of the 1980s and the banking crisis of 1994—and had suffered rising social inequality. These events created a deep-seated distrust of establishment politicians. Chávez’s 1998 victory, however, was far from inevitable. Other presidential candidates also stood against corruption and promised a clean break from politics as usual. Moreover, business opposition to Chávez’s anti-neoliberal candidacy should have convinced voters that his victory would provoke a downward economic spiral.
In Electing Chávez, Leslie C. Gates examines how Chávez won over voters and even obtained the secret allegiance of a group of business “elite outliers,” with a reinterpretation of the relationship between business and the state during Venezuela’s era of two-party dominance (1959-1998). Through extensive research on corruption and the backgrounds of political leaders.
Gates tracks the rise of business-related corruption scandals and documents how business became identified with Venezuela’s political establishment. These trends undermined the public’s trust in business and converted business opposition into an asset for Chávez. This long history of business-tied politicians and the scandals they often provoked also framed the decisions of elite outliers. As Gates reveals, elite outliers supported Chávez despite his anti-neoliberal stance because they feared that the success of Chávez’s main rival would deny them access to Venezuela’s powerful oil state.
In Electing Chávez, Leslie C. Gates examines how Chávez won over voters and even obtained the secret allegiance of a group of business “elite outliers,” with a reinterpretation of the relationship between business and the state during Venezuela’s era of two-party dominance (1959-1998). Through extensive research on corruption and the backgrounds of political leaders.
Gates tracks the rise of business-related corruption scandals and documents how business became identified with Venezuela’s political establishment. These trends undermined the public’s trust in business and converted business opposition into an asset for Chávez. This long history of business-tied politicians and the scandals they often provoked also framed the decisions of elite outliers. As Gates reveals, elite outliers supported Chávez despite his anti-neoliberal stance because they feared that the success of Chávez’s main rival would deny them access to Venezuela’s powerful oil state.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- List of Tables
- pp. 10-11
- Acknowledgments
- pp. 12-16
- List of Acronyms
- pp. 18-19
- PART I Introduction
- pp. 20-21
- 2 EXPLAINING CHÁVEZ’S ELECTION
- pp. 33-55
- P A R T II. Voter Support for Ch
- pp. 56-57
- 4 THE SOURCES OF ANTI-BUSINESS SENTIMENT
- pp. 78-101
- P A R T III: Business Assistance for Ch
- pp. 102-103
- APPENDIX A. INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED
- pp. 166-167
- APPENDIX B.CORRUPTION SCANDALS
- pp. 168-169
- APPENDIX C.POLITICAL BIOGRAPHIES
- pp. 170-173
- APPENDIX D. ELITE OUTLIERS
- pp. 174-175
- REFERENCES
- pp. 194-209
Additional Information
ISBN
9780822973737
Related ISBN(s)
9780822960645
MARC Record
OCLC
793341720
Pages
216
Launched on MUSE
2012-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No