Knowledge Bank

President Hugo Chávez has made it his goal to create "21st Century Socialism" in Venezuela. Critics and sympathizers alike wonder just what the president means by this phrase. Chávez has resisted any sweeping definition but made clear that socialism in Venezuela would be founded upon participatory democracy, solidardistic relations of production, and mixed, innovative forms of property.

This presentation explores the limits and possibilities for construction of such a system by examining the advantages and disadvantages posed by dependence on oil exports and by Venezuelan political culture. Hellinger will draw upon his ongoing research on popular attitudes about democracy, debates within the chavista community on the Internet, and on the political economy of Venezuela as a petrostate.