Eduardo Gamarra Americas Insights

Broken Promises of Populist Neopatrimonialism: A Look into Bolivia and Venezuela's Descent   In the latest rankings released by  Transparency International , Bolivia and Venezuela have been spotlighted as the most corrupt nations in Latin America. This revelation is not particularly surprising given the political trajectory of both nations over the past two decades. The architects of their current states—Evo Morales and his MAS and Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro -- leaders who once championed populist movements with vows to eradicate corruption, poverty, and to dismantle the neoliberal policies of their predecessors, have instead entrenched themselves in power through authoritarian neopatrimonial systems that betray the very populace they promised to uplift.   The irony is palpable. Those who ascended to power on the backs of movements decrying the exclusion and exploitation of the majority by a corrupt elite have themselves perpetuated a cycle of misrule, transforming their admini