Antipoverty Programmes in Venezuela

Abstract

This article analyses Venezuelan antipoverty programmes under the presidency of Hugo Chávez, the leader of the 'Bolivarian Revolution ' (1998-present). Support for poor people has become the government's trademark since the creation in 2002-03 of a series of emergency social programmes, the Missions. These programmes attend to the basic needs of low-income individuals in terms of nutrition, health and education. The Missions are characterised by a pattern of institutional bypassing which makes their long-term institutionalisation difficult. Do the Missions really introduce a break with previous social policies? To answer this question, we first analyse the evolution of the Venezuelan social state. Second, we review the development of the Missions, especially the Mission Vuelvan Caras, now Che Guevara, an active labour market programme. Third, we provide an assessment of the Social Missions and identify ruptures and continuities with past social assistance policies. The main contention is that the Missions exhibit a strong pattern of path dependency, despite the ideological and discursive ruptures that have attended the presidency of Hugo Chávez.

The Political Economy of Social Production Companies in Venezuela

“…there was a high level of confidence in and support for chávez but a generally low level of coordinated support from development institutions, incomplete credits and land titles, internal resistance from bureaucrats, and alleged corruption, all exacerbated by low prices and poor productivity that inhibited the expanded reproduction of investment (carlos eduardo sarullo, FOnDAs, and Gertrudis Alvarez, representing miranda producers, group interview, caucagua, may 25, 2008). these bureaucratic and institutional problems are neither new in terms of venezuelan social policy (see, e.g., Daguerre, 2011) nor the root cause of developmental obstacles. rather they express the limits of a project predicated upon the piecemeal transfer of oil rents to formerly excluded groups.…”

Reevaluating the Chávez Regime: Participatory Democracy or Rentier Populism?

“…The regime designed and adopted the missions in 2003 in response to growing political pressure from a mobilised opposition manifested in the 2002 coup and 2004 recall referendum (Penfold‐Becerra, 2007: 79). Indeed, in the face of sagging electoral support prior to the 2004 recall referendum, it ran a highly effective electoral campaign on the theme, ‘ Que no te quiten tus misiones ’ (‘Don't let them take your missions’) (Daguerre, 2011: 841).…”

Venezuela 1999–2014: Macro-Policy, Oil Governance and Economic Performance

“…The programs attended to the basic needs of low-income individuals and families in terms of nutrition, health and education and required extra-budgetary resources to fund their expansion. Daguerre (2011) points out that what really represented a break from previous administrations was the amount of money devoted to social spending and the new programs. Social spending as a proportion of the GDP increased from 8.…”