Development, Capitalists and Extractive Rent: Class Struggles in Venezuela and Ecuador

Through a relational class perspective, this dissertation compares the evolution of the development models in Venezuela and Ecuador since the 1970s to better understand the significance of the recent turn to the left. Based on field research in both countries comprising extensive interviews with representatives of social movements and business interest groups, it studies the main class organizations, their struggles, and their relation with the state in order to shed light on the dynamics of change in the development models pursued in each country, and the role that extractive rent plays within them. While governments associated with the pink tide in Venezuela and Ecuador were not elected under similar economic contexts, they faced comparable political conditions. In particular, both countries faced situations where class struggle adopted a particular form as popular classes lost their coordination, and the capitalist classes had significant influence over the state. In response to the challenge these conditions represented, left governments attempted to increase the capacity of the state to act with more autonomy through the adoption of new constitutions and the reassertion of state ownership over extractive resources to pursue a rent-based social-developmental model. This involved the use of extractive rent for redistributive measures and as a leverage to foster economic diversification. A comparative perspective on social classes shows how a united capitalist class in Venezuela, adopting a confrontational stance, pushed the state to rely increasingly on its role as a dispenser of rent. By contrast, a regionally divided capitalist class in Ecuador reacted less combatively, and led the Ecuadorian state to follow a social-developmental model more supportive of private initiative for economic diversification. In both cases, however, the governments put in place strategies aimed at gaining control over the responses of the popular sector. As opposed to discussions of populism, focusing on the irrational relationship between the leader and its followers, or approaches that focus on categorizing different kinds of left governments, or even perspectives that stress the determining role of natural resources, this dissertation analyzes class struggles as a crucial factor to understanding the transformation of the state and of the development model it pursues

Régulation et/ou internationalisation, difficile conciliation ?

L’objectif premier du présent texte est de faire une recension critique des différentes solutions apportées par l’école de la régulation dans le contexte de la globalisation de l’économie. Ceci nous mènera à la conclusion qu’une vision du capitalisme global fait défaut à l’école des Théories de la Régulation, et qu’il faut fouiller du côté des analyses néogramsciennes en théorie des relations internationales pour trouver une solution à ce problème.The first objective of this text is to make a critical assessment of the various solutions presented by the school of the regulation in the context of the globalization of the economy. This will bring us to the conclusion that a vision of total capitalism is missing in the Theories of the Regulation. A neogramscian approach (represented in this text by the analyses of Robert W. Cox et Stephen Gill) of international relations is in our view necessary to find a solution to this problem

Neoliberalism in Ecuador after Correa: A surprise turn or according to economic elites' plan?

This article examines economic elites’ reactions to early efforts by Ecuador’s left government to limit their clout. Elites developed an infrastructure of dissent to promote their interests. Some chambers of commerce and industry adapted their strategies to promote ideas and public figures that would gain increasing public and political prominence. Domestic conglomerates used different strategies to regain influence: ostentatious attempts to use economic power to capture the highest sphere of government offered promising results when accompanied by electoral wins, but active yet subtler strategies to improve their public image allowed some conglomerates to dispute the definition of development with the state and to cast themselves as representing collective well-being. By showing how economic elites used the global economic conjuncture and the trend of corporate social responsibility to advance their economic program, this article demonstrates that studying the agency of economic elites is essential for understanding how business interests shape political outcomes.Resumen: Neoliberalismo en Ecuador tras Correa: ¿Giro inesperado o de acuerdo al plan de la elite económica?Este artículo examina las reacciones de las élites económicas ante los primeros esfuerzos del gobierno de izquierda de Ecuador para limitar su influencia. Las élites desarrollaron una infraestructura de disidencia para promover sus intereses. Algunas cámaras de comercio e industria adaptaron sus estrategias para promover ideas y figuras públicas que ganarían cada vez más protagonismo público y político. Los conglomerados nacionales utilizaron diferentes estrategias para recuperar su influencia: los ostentosos intentos de utilizar el poder económico para ocupar la esfera más alta del gobierno ofrecieron resultados prometedores cuando iban acompañados de victorias electorales, pero las estrategias activas y más sutiles para mejorar su imagen pública permitieron a algunos conglomerados cuestionar la definición de desarrollo con el estado y así presentarse como representantes del bienestar colectivo. Al mostrar cómo las élites económicas usaron la coyuntura económica global y la tendencia de la responsabilidad social corporativa para avanzar en su programa económico, este artículo demuestra que estudiar la agencia de las élites económicas es esencial para comprender cómo los intereses comerciales dan forma a los resultados políticos

4.3 El movimiento estudiantil en Québec: un conflicto de clase

Anàlisi del moviment estudiantil a Quebèc durant l'any 2013Análisis de la actividad del movimiento estudiantil en Québec y su relación con las condiciones de desigualdad social y las posiciones de clase socia