Venezuela's Chavismo and Populism in Comparative Perspective [Paperback]

Examines the populist movement of Hugo Ch?vez in Venezuela and argues that populism is primarily a response to widespread corruption.This book examines the populist movement of Hugo Ch?vez in Venezuela and argues that populism is primarily a response to widespread corruption. It defends a definition of populism as a set of ideas and measures populism across Venezuela and other countries. It also explores the influence of populist ideas on political organization and policy.This book examines the populist movement of Hugo Ch?vez in Venezuela and argues that populism is primarily a response to widespread corruption. It defends a definition of populism as a set of ideas and measures populism across Venezuela and other countries. It also explores the influence of populist ideas on political organization and policy.Populism is best understood as a Manichaean worldview linked to a characteristic language or discourse. Chavismo, the movement that sustains Hugo Ch?vez in Venezuela, is a paradigmatic instance of populism. Using a novel, cross-country dataset on populist discourse, combined with extensive data from within Venezuela and across other countries, this book demonstrates that populist movements can be understood as responses to widespread corruption and economic crisis. The book analyzes the Bolivarian Circles and government missions in Venezuela, revealing how populist ideas influence political organization and policy. The analysis provides important insight into the nature of populism, including its causes and consequences, and addresses broader questions about the role of ideas in politics.1. Introduction; 2. Chavismo, populism, and democracy; 3. Measuring the populist discourse of Chavismo; 4. Party system breakdown and the rise of Chavismo; 5. The causes of populism in comparative perspective; 6. Populist organization: the Bolivarian circles in Venezuela; 7. Populist policy: the missions of the Ch?vez government; 8. Conclusion; Appendix A: the populist speech rlcC