Red Pepper's Venezuela Blog

ALBA: Creating a Regional Alternative to Neo-liberalism?

[Shawn Hattingh argues that the Bolivarian Alternative for Latin America (ALBA) offers real possibilities for future widespread alternatives to the current neo-liberal system.  This means that ALBA is of great symbolic value. It shows that there is an alternative to neo-liberalism, which the governments of the South -- including those in Asia and Africa -- could embark upon.]
Conclusion of the 6th ALBA Summit in Caracas, January 2008. Credit: Telesur

Venezuelans See Economy and Democracy More Positively Than Other Latin Americans

[Pascual Serrano reports on the NGO Latinobarómetro's annual poll surveying the development of democracies, economies, and societies in Latin America, which shows that Venezuelans view their economy and democracy more positively than other Latin Americans. For a Spanish version of this article click here.]

The Cold War Rages On

[Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) in Washington, D.C. takes a critical look at a recent piece by the Latin America editor of The Economist, Michael Reid, which paints a dismal picture of Venezuela and argues that the British left should support economic policies in Latin America which Reid argues are "building on the economic reforms misleadingly known as the Washington Consensus". For Weisbrot it is a tribute to the sophistication of the British left that they can see through the one-sided media coverage of Venezuela and Latin America.]

The Economic Policy of the Latin American Left in Government: Venezuela

[In a briefing for the Transnational Institute (TNI) Edgardo Lander and Pablo Navarrete argue that Venezuela has undergone profound political and social changes since Hugo Chávez assumed the presidency in February 1999, which have been reflected in a fundamental shift in the country's economic policy. The briefing offers a historically grounded account of how, in three distinct stages, the Chávez government has put an end to neo-liberal policymaking in the country and instituted various structural changes to the Venezuelan economy.]

Joseph Stiglitz, in Caracas, Praises Venezuela’s Economic Policies

[Venezuelanalysis.com's Kiraz Janicke reports on statements made earlier this month by Nobel Prize winning economist and former vice-president of the World Bank, Joseph Stiglitz, in which he praised Venezuela's economic growth and  "positive policies in health and education".]
In this photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, left, speaks with Nobel Prize-winning Economist Joseph Stiglitz during a meeting at Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas, Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007.

Venezuela's Consumption Boom and Income Rises for the Poor

[The Oil Wars Blog (OWB) comments on a recent Datanalisis poll showing that between July 2006 and July 2007 retail and wholesale sales in Venezuela have risen 35%. The OWB also comments on recent data showing that the real income of social classes D and E (the poor and working poor) has risen by 60% and 100% respectively since 1998 (the year before Chavez assumed the presidency).]

Chávez: 'Galbraithiano'

[For Greg Grandin, a U.S. historian and author of Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism, economist John Kenneth Galbraith is celebrated not just by Chávez but by a wide range of reformers, including Ecuador's new president, Rafael Correa, himself an economist. This popularity reflects a growing enthusiasm for the state regulation of the economy that Galbraith prescribed.]

Economist John Kenneth Galbraith

New Study Says Venezuelan Economy to Continue to Boom

[A new paper from the Center for Economic and Policy Research looks at the Venezuelan economy during the last eight years and finds that it does not fit the mold of an "oil boom headed for a bust," as is commonly believed. For a Spanish version of the CEPR paper click here.]

Bank of the South: Toward Financial Autonomy

[For Raúl Zibechi, a member of the Editorial Council of the weekly Brecha in Montevideo, the launch of the Bank of the South is an ambitious and strategic gambit in regional integration, one that could result in a truly regional development bank. To read the original Spanish version of this article click here. --Ed] 

A New Assertiveness for Latin American Governments

[Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) in Washington, D.C. argues that the relationships between governments and investors - especially transnational corporations -are changing rapidly, and this is especially true in Latin America today. --Ed]