Domenico Romero | Queens College of the City University of New York (original) (raw)

Papers by Domenico Romero

During the past two decades participatory democracy policies came to be seen as a useful alternat... more During the past two decades participatory democracy policies came to be seen as a useful alternative to address high inequality and lack of meaningful political representation allowed by clientelist politics in various parts of the world. This project explores the question: what is the impact that state-promoted participation has on democracy and development, the two key areas that political reformers in Latin America attempted to improve at the turn of the millennium? The hypotheses that this project proposes in response to that question are that participatory policies do not underperform neoliberal policies on macroeconomic or human development; that state-promoted participation strengthens social capital and clientelism hinders it; and that statepromoted participation strengthens democratic values and clientelism hinders them. The macroeconomic and human development hypothesis is self-explanatory. However, the introduction of the concept of social capital is required here as part of the causal mechanism that explains the impact that clientelism and participatory policies have on democracy. This study uses two cases that represent both ends of the political and economic policy spectrums: neoliberal Mexico under the PAN governments of 2000-2012, which broke a 70-year monopoly of the PRI, and participatory democracy in socialist Venezuela, where Hugo Chávez's 1998 election broke the 40-year political monopoly of two centrist and elitist parties. The new political beginnings in these countries resulted in similar achievements in economic and human development, and in divergent and complex trajectories in terms of clientelism and participation. v Gracias a Laine, mi compañera de vida, de baile, de sueños, de lucha. Gracias a mis hijas Naila y Lucía, que inspiran un mundo mejor. vi Contents List of Tables vii List of Figures x 1.

Medium.com, 2018

In the Trump era, some propose the use of “gatekeepers” to protect democracy. But what democracy ... more In the Trump era, some propose the use of “gatekeepers” to protect democracy. But what democracy really needs to thrive is not to be more closed, but to promote deeper and wider participation of all.

Doctoral dissertation by Domenico Romero

During the past two decades participatory democracy policies came to be seen as a useful alternat... more During the past two decades participatory democracy policies came to be seen as a useful alternative to address high inequality and lack of meaningful political representation allowed by clientelist politics in various parts of the world. This project explores the question: what is the impact that state-promoted participation has on democracy and development, the two key areas that political reformers in Latin America attempted to improve at the turn of the millennium? The hypotheses that this project proposes in response to that question are that participatory policies do not underperform neoliberal policies on macroeconomic or human development; that state-promoted participation strengthens social capital and clientelism hinders it; and that state-promoted participation strengthens democratic values and clientelism hinders them. The macroeconomic and human development hypothesis is self-explanatory. However, the introduction of the concept of social capital is required here as part of the causal mechanism that explains the impact that clientelism and participatory policies have on democracy.
This study uses two cases that represent both ends of the political and economic policy spectrums: neoliberal Mexico under the PAN governments of 2000–2012, which broke a 70-year monopoly of the PRI, and participatory democracy in socialist Venezuela, where Hugo Chávez’s 1998 election broke the 40-year political monopoly of two centrist and elitist parties. The new political beginnings in these countries resulted in similar achievements in economic and human development, and in divergent and complex trajectories in terms of clientelism and participation.

Durante las pasadas dos décadas, políticas de democracia participativa han sido una alternativa ú... more Durante las pasadas dos décadas, políticas de democracia participativa han sido una alternativa útil para atacar la alta desigualdad y falta de representación política significativa permitidas por políticas clientelares en distintas partes del mundo. Este proyecto explora la pregunta: ¿cuál es el impacto que la participación promovida desde el Estado tiene en la democracia y el desarrollo, las dos áreas clave que reformistas políticos en América Latina intentaron mejorar en el cambio de milenio? Las hipótesis que este proyecto propone en respuesta a esta pregunta son que las políticas participativas no tienen un desempeño más bajo que las políticas neoliberales en cuanto al desarrollo humano; que la participación promovida por el estado fortalece el capital social y que el clientelismo lo debilita. La hipótesis relacionada al desarrollo marco-económico y humano es auto-explicativa. Sin embargo, la introducción del concepto de capital social es requerida aquí como parte del mecanismo causal que explica el impacto que el clientelismo y las políticas participativas tienen en la democracia.

Medium.com, 2018

During the past two decades participatory democracy policies came to be seen as a useful alternat... more During the past two decades participatory democracy policies came to be seen as a useful alternative to address high inequality and lack of meaningful political representation allowed by clientelist politics in various parts of the world. This project explores the question: what is the impact that state-promoted participation has on democracy and development, the two key areas that political reformers in Latin America attempted to improve at the turn of the millennium? The hypotheses that this project proposes in response to that question are that participatory policies do not underperform neoliberal policies on macroeconomic or human development; that state-promoted participation strengthens social capital and clientelism hinders it; and that state-promoted participation strengthens democratic values and clientelism hinders them. The macroeconomic and human development hypothesis is self-explanatory. However, the introduction of the concept of social capital is required here as part of the causal mechanism that explains the impact that clientelism and participatory policies have on democracy.
This study uses two cases that represent both ends of the political and economic policy spectrums: neoliberal Mexico under the PAN governments of 2000–2012, which broke a 70-year monopoly of the PRI, and participatory democracy in socialist Venezuela, where Hugo Chávez’s 1998 election broke the 40-year political monopoly of two centrist and elitist parties. The new political beginnings in these countries resulted in similar achievements in economic and human development, and in divergent and complex trajectories in terms of clientelism and participation.