Suchergebnisse

Rather than take marching orders from the outgoing president, Moreno distanced his government from the authoritarianism and corruption of the Correa era.

Over the last decade, political scientists have identified Ecuador as one of Latin America's hybrid regimes. This article examines how President Rafael Correa combined legal reforms, bureaucratic controls and other policies in a contra‐associational strategy aimed at extending executive control over civil society. While the strategy significantly altered the operational environment for civil society groups, it did not completely strip them of their capacity to oppose the regime. Ecuador's experience underscores the ambiguity at play in hybrids; in pursuit of regime legitimation, regimes must cede some space to opponents while simultaneously sabotaging civil liberties.

The return of the state in Latin America under the auspices of leftist governments is often equated with an expansion in the state's role as a regulator of the economy and social welfare provider. This article focuses on an equally important dimension of recent state development: the rise of dense societal regulation. Analysing the case of Ecuador under the administration of Rafael Correa (2007-present), the study shows how the design of policies aimed at the media, civil society organizations, and higher education have enlarged the scope of regulation and enhanced the powers of the executive branch. Applying Daniel Brinks' notion of analysing the 'state-as-law', Ecuador stands as example of politicized legalism (estado de derecho politizado).Resumen: Vigilancia y sanción: El retorno del estado y la regulación societal en el EcuadorEl retorno del estado, bajo el auspicio de los gobiernos de izquierda en América Latina, es frecuentemente asimilado con la expansión del rol del estado como regulador de la economía y la provisión de bienestar social. Este artículo trata sobre una dimensión igualmente importante en el desarrollo de esos estados: el ascenso de una densa regulación societal. Analizando el caso ecuatoriano, bajo la administración de Rafael Correa (2007-al presente), este estudio demuestra cómo el diseño de políticas para los medios de comunicación, organizaciones de la sociedad civil y, instituciones de educación superior han ampliado el alcance de la regulación y afianzado los poderes de la función ejecutiva. Aplicando la noción de 'estado-como-ley' de Daniel Brinks, Ecuador se ha convertido en un caso ejemplar de un estado de derecho politizado.

AbstractAcross Latin America, many former presidents have faced criminal prosecutions on corruption charges, with widely varied outcomes. As with an impeachment, law and politics intersect in the prosecution of a president. In this essay, I examine this nexus by mapping the actions of agents who mobilise to influence how the justice system processes presidential prosecutions: first, accountability actors located in state-based institutions and civil society; second, partisan actors in the executive and legislative branches; and third, defendants, and their partisan and civil society supporters. This study argues that variations in the make-up, resources and alignment of these sets of actors fundamentally shape the trajectory of legal cases. Proceedings against three former presidents of Ecuador are analysed: Abdalá Bucaram, Jamil Mahuad and Gustavo Noboa.

With the election of Rafael Correa in 2006, Ecuador joined the ranks of Latin American countries that have taken the "Left Turn" in national politics. Correa views his presidency as an opportunity to effect profound political change by convoking a constituent assembly to write a new constitution. In the course of campaigning for the constituent assembly, Correa constructed a powerful hyper-plebiscitary presidency—a mode of governance marked by the president's recurrent appeals to public opinion and special elections that enhances the legitimacy of the executive at the expense of congress. Using the informal and formal powers of his office, Correa was able to govern "over the heads" of existing institutions and greatly debilitate what remained of the political opposition.

Rafael Correa faces his greatest challenge yet: how to deliver on his ambitious campaign promises to transform Ecuador, the most politically unstable country in the region.