Socialism of the 21st Century in Ecuador (2008)

Undergraduate: Christa McCann

Faculty Advisor: Evelyn Huber
Department: International & Area Studies

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The focus of this study were the distinctions of the new (as of 2006) Ecuadorian government in its “socialist” movement and how these distinctions will affect the country’s thus-far positive relations with the U.S. While in Quito this past summer, I interviewed 35 Ecuadorians from varying levels of involvement (or lack thereof) with the government and different levels of political consciousness, including candidates to the Constitutional Assembly, government employees and officials, professors from three universities in Quito, university students, and the general public. Interview questions focused on the meaning of “Socialism of the 21st Century”, the changes taking place in Ecuador, how these changes will affect democratic practices, the motivations behind these changes, and how changes will affect the country’s relationship with the U.S. As a result of my research I found that the majority of subjects do not feel this is a true socialist government, but a continuation of past governments' proposals and goals except with a new name and now an authoritarian head of State. Those who did identify the movement as socialist named some distinguishing characteristics of the movement and noted that, as democratic practices were minimal prior to Correa's election, any socialist changes which do occur should not affect the state of democracy within the country or Ecuador's relationship with the U.S.