IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v12y2025i1d10.1057_s41599-025-05940-3.html

The Citizens’ Revolution in Ecuador: A comparative history of political ideas, processes, and outcomes

Author

Listed:
  • Ricardo Restrepo Echavarría

    (Universidad Técnica de Manabí)

  • Fernando Oliván López

    (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos)

Abstract

The Citizens’ Revolution in Ecuador (2007–2017), led by President Rafael Correa, remains the subject of intense political and academic debate. A dominant traditionalist narrative depicts this decade as one of authoritarianism and economic mismanagement, thereby justifying the post-2017 push for institutional “reconstitution.” In contrast, heterodox accounts interpret the period as a project of democratic development—marked by the expansion of rights, social justice, and economic improvement—and as a rupture from the exclusionary neoliberal model of “minimal democracy” that preceded it. This study adjudicates between these competing interpretations through a comparative analysis of political, economic, and social indicators across three periods: the pre–Citizens’ Revolution era (1996–2006), the Revolution itself (2007–2016), and the post-Revolution years (2016–2023). It evaluates democratic legitimacy, living standards, and development outcomes within Ecuador and compared against ten other Latin American countries to control for global commodity price shifts. The findings reveal substantial improvements during the Citizens’ Revolution in areas such as education, income inequality, infrastructure, security, and citizen consent, across internal, historical, and regional dimensions. These results support the view of the Citizens’ Revolution as a democratizing and developmental force, despite certain authoritarian tendencies. By contrast, like the regime prior to the Citizens’ Revolution, subsequent administrations have overseen a marked regression, characterized by diminished public consent, economic deterioration, and rising violence. The study concludes that the Citizens’ Revolution constituted a significant departure from neoliberal minimalist democracy, offered an alternative model of inclusive development, and left a legacy—both of accomplishments and contradictions—that continues to shape Ecuador’s political, social, and economic trajectory.

Suggested Citation

  • Ricardo Restrepo Echavarría & Fernando Oliván López, 2025. "The Citizens’ Revolution in Ecuador: A comparative history of political ideas, processes, and outcomes," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-22, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-05940-3
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-05940-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-025-05940-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-025-05940-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daron Acemoglu & James Robinson, 2010. "The Role of Institutions in Growth and Development," Review of Economics and Institutions, Università di Perugia, vol. 1(2).
    2. Aldenis Vásquez & Rafael Alvarado & Brayan Tillaguango & Cem Işık & Muntasir Murshed, 2023. "Impact of Social and Institutional Indicators on the Homicide Rate in Ecuador: An Analysis Using Advanced Time Series Techniques," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 169(1), pages 1-22, September.
    3. Gilbert, Christine, 2022. "The audit of public debt: Auditing as a device for political resistance in a neoliberal era," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    4. Mark Weisbrot & Dean Baker & David Rosnick, 2005. "Scorecard on Development: 25 Years of Diminished Progress," CEPR Reports and Issue Briefs 2005-30, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).
    5. Palma, José Gabriel, 2020. "Why the rich always stay rich (no matter what, no matter the cost)," Revista CEPAL, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), December.
    6. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Scarpaci, Joseph, 2016. "Energy justice and the contested petroleum politics of stranded assets: Policy insights from the Yasuní-ITT Initiative in Ecuador," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 158-171.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rok Spruk & Mitja Kovac, 2018. "Inefficient Growth," Review of Economics and Institutions, Università di Perugia, vol. 9(2).
    2. Cuenca Botey, Luis Emilio & Célérier, Laure, 2023. "On the relentless labour of deconstructing domination logics: The case of decolonial critical accounting research in South America," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    3. Singh, Anuraag & Triulzi, Giorgio & Magee, Christopher L., 2021. "Technological improvement rate predictions for all technologies: Use of patent data and an extended domain description," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(9).
    4. Vassilis T. Rapanos & Georgia Kaplanoglou, 2014. "Governance, Growth and the Recent Economic Crisis: The Case of Greece and Cyprus," Cyprus Economic Policy Review, University of Cyprus, Economics Research Centre, vol. 8(1), pages 3-34, June.
    5. Åsa Johansson, 2016. "Public Finance, Economic Growth and Inequality: A Survey of the Evidence," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1346, OECD Publishing.
    6. Obukohwo Oba Efayena & Enoh Hilda Olele, 2024. "Moderating the Effect of Institutional Quality on the Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth Nexus: What Evidence Exists in Sub-Saharan Africa?," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(4), pages 20436-20458, December.
    7. Becherair, Amrane, 2014. "Institutions and Economic Growth in the MENA Countries: An Empirical Investigation by Using Panel data model," MPRA Paper 57683, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 04 Aug 2014.
    8. Daniel Barbezat, 2011. "The Economic History of European Growth," Chapters, in: Gail M. Hoyt & KimMarie McGoldrick (ed.), International Handbook on Teaching and Learning Economics, chapter 51, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    9. Schilirò, Daniele, 2022. "Botswana's economy and the question of diversification," MPRA Paper 115608, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Andrea F Presbitero, 2012. "Total Public Debt and Growth in Developing Countries," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 24(4), pages 606-626, September.
    11. Rafael Cezar & Octavio Escobar, 2015. "Institutional distance and foreign direct investment," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 151(4), pages 713-733, November.
    12. Fernandes, Vitor Bukvar & Reydon, Bastiaan Philip, 2024. "An exploration of the relationship between land governance and development through a systematic review of interventions," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    13. Massomeh Hajilee & Farhang Niroomand, 2018. "The impact of interest rate volatility on financial market inclusion: evidence from emerging markets," Journal of Economics and Finance, Springer;Academy of Economics and Finance, vol. 42(2), pages 352-368, April.
    14. Brandon Parsons & Joseph St. Marie & Robert Pauly, 2025. "Quantile via Moments Panel Data Analysis: Dissecting Political Regimes and the Spectrum of Internal Conflicts," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 51(2), pages 268-307, April.
    15. Shengqing Xu & Tao Wang, 2017. "On energy equity and China’s policy choices," Energy & Environment, , vol. 28(3), pages 288-301, May.
    16. Schilirò, Daniele, 2024. "L’ economia politica, la crescita e l’euro in una prospettiva storica [Political economy, growth and the euro in historical perspective]," MPRA Paper 123132, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Mohammad Sharif Karimi & Elham Heshmati Daiari, 2018. "Does Institutions Matter for Economic Development? Evidence for ASEAN Selected Countries," Iranian Economic Review (IER), Faculty of Economics,University of Tehran.Tehran,Iran, vol. 22(1), pages 1-20, Winter.
    18. Marcello De Maria, 2019. "Understanding Land in the Context of Large-Scale Land Acquisitions: A Brief History of Land in Economics," Land, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-14, January.
    19. Hans Gersbach & Lars-H. Siemers, 2014. "Can democracy induce development? A constitutional perspective," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 159(1), pages 177-196, April.
    20. S Zhou & D.D Tewari, 2018. "Political Institutions and Macroeconomic Factors as Determinants of Credit Risk in South Africa," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 10(6), pages 211-221.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-05940-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.nature.com/palcomms/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.