Chapter 5 studies the birth, evolution and unravelling of Rafael Correa’s so-called “Citizens Revolution” in Ecuador between 2007 and 2017, as a case of left-wing populism government in South America. It shows how Correa’s electoral appeal in 2005 was based on the populist simplification of the political space through the creation of a political frontier between the people, as the actors of the citizens’ revolution, and a series of “others” identified as the big banks, the traditional political class, the mainstream media, the agro-exporting sectors and foreign actors such as the IMF, the World Bank, as well as the US and Colombian governments. The chapter argues that once in office, president Correa sought to mediate conflicting popular demands in an unstable compromise that addressed some demands while simultaneously neglecting others and widening the register of the enemies of the Citizens Revolution through new relations of antagonism. Combining the analysis of Gramsci with the approach of Ostiguy, Mazzolini explains Correa’s failure to construct a hegemonic project in terms of the lack of a strong sociocultural dimension in Correa’s populist appeal and the implementation of a technocratic style of governing that frowned on popular participation in policy decisions.

Rafael Correa and the Citizens’ Revolution in Ecuador. A Case of Leftwing Non-Hegemonic Populism

Samuele Mazzolini
2021-01-01

Abstract

Chapter 5 studies the birth, evolution and unravelling of Rafael Correa’s so-called “Citizens Revolution” in Ecuador between 2007 and 2017, as a case of left-wing populism government in South America. It shows how Correa’s electoral appeal in 2005 was based on the populist simplification of the political space through the creation of a political frontier between the people, as the actors of the citizens’ revolution, and a series of “others” identified as the big banks, the traditional political class, the mainstream media, the agro-exporting sectors and foreign actors such as the IMF, the World Bank, as well as the US and Colombian governments. The chapter argues that once in office, president Correa sought to mediate conflicting popular demands in an unstable compromise that addressed some demands while simultaneously neglecting others and widening the register of the enemies of the Citizens Revolution through new relations of antagonism. Combining the analysis of Gramsci with the approach of Ostiguy, Mazzolini explains Correa’s failure to construct a hegemonic project in terms of the lack of a strong sociocultural dimension in Correa’s populist appeal and the implementation of a technocratic style of governing that frowned on popular participation in policy decisions.
2021
Populism in Global Perspective. A Performative and Discursive Approach
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10278/5019287
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