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Rethinking Democratic Governance: State Building, Autonomy, and Accountability in Correa's Ecuador
Demokratische Governance neu denken: Staat, Autonomie und Verantwortung in Ecuador unter Correa
[journal article]
Abstract This paper argues that rather than theorize state building and democracy separately, we should direct our attention to studying the dual construction of democratic states. To do so, we must understand the contradictory relationship between the concentration of power needed to build state institution... view more
This paper argues that rather than theorize state building and democracy separately, we should direct our attention to studying the dual construction of democratic states. To do so, we must understand the contradictory relationship between the concentration of power needed to build state institutions and the constraints on this power dictated by the norms of liberal democracy. I present an outline for studying state building and democratic governance and illustrate my argument with a study of Ecuador. I argue that stable democracy must rest on three pillars: effective state institutions, the autonomy of these institutions from other powerful actors, and the existence of meaningful institutions of accountability. The challenge is that efforts to strengthen one or more of these pillars are likely to undermine the others. I argue that Ecuador, particularly under the Correa administration, has experienced substantial achievements in the area of institution building, has a mixed record with regards to autonomy, and offers little in the way of accountability. (author's abstract)... view less
Keywords
Ecuador; political system; political power; political institution; democracy; democratization; national state; state formation; governance; society; separation of powers; South America; Latin America; Andean Region
Classification
Political System, Constitution, Government
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Document language
English
Publication Year
2015
Page/Pages
p. 83-110
Journal
Journal of Politics in Latin America, 7 (2015) 1
ISSN
1868-4890
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed