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Liberalism in Ecuador

Author

Listed:
  • Pedro Romero
  • Fergus Hodgson
  • María Paz Gómez

Abstract

Ecuador suffers from a Spanish colonial legacy strongly antithetical to liberalism, which, alongside explicit slavery, included racially oriented peasant subjugation until the late 20th century. The Spanish economic system of trade mercantilism and pervasive clientelism continues to this day, albeit under new branding of 21st-century socialism. A history with twenty constitutions characterizes an unstable nation vulnerable to grandiose, illiberal populism, and the few liberal advances have tended to be top-down political calculations. One bright spot has been dollarization in 2000, which derived from the general populace and better protected earnings and wealth and stabilized the economy. The rise of the Citizen Revolution under President Rafael Correa (2007–2017), in solidarity with other socialist regimes in Latin America, has put Ecuador into a fiscal crisis and ushered in a modern authoritarian and corrupt regime, noted by many international human-rights and economic watchdog organizations. Despite an environment of intimidation with very limited free speech, liberal research and advocacy organizations continue their work and are gaining traction.

Suggested Citation

  • Pedro Romero & Fergus Hodgson & María Paz Gómez, 2018. "Liberalism in Ecuador," Econ Journal Watch, Econ Journal Watch, vol. 15(1), pages 105–128-1, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:ejw:journl:v:15:y:2018:i:1:p:105-128
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ivan Gachet & Diego F. Grijalva & Paúl A. Ponce & Damián Rodríguez, 2019. "Vertical and Horizontal Inequality in Ecuador: The Lack of Sustainability," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 145(3), pages 861-900, October.
    2. Diego F. Grijalva, 2017. "The rise of the middle class in Ecuador during the oil boom," Revista Cuadernos de Economia, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, FCE, CID, vol. 36(72), October.
    3. Ivan Gachet & Diego F. Grijalva & Paúl A. Ponce & Damián Rodríguez, 2019. "Vertical and Horizontal Inequality in Ecuador: The Lack of Sustainability," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 145(3), pages 861-900, October.
    4. Patricia Saenz-Armstrong, 2018. "Economic Liberalism in Peru," Econ Journal Watch, Econ Journal Watch, vol. 15(2), pages 179–200-1, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Ecuador; liberalism; Latin America; 21st-century socialism; economic development; Citizen Revolution; Rafael Correa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A13 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Social Values
    • O54 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Latin America; Caribbean

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