From the Neoliberal Barrio to the Socialist Commune

Abstract

With the adoption of the Communal Councils Law in 2006, and the recent creation in 2009 of the People's Power Ministry for Communes, the government of Venezuela fosters the construction of socialism in the twentieth first century. Considerations about communal power are of fundamentally importance. But, what are the communal councils, what direction are they taking, and how does this new system of communal government express itself on the ground at a national scale? This study analyzes the experience of the communalization of the State in Venezuela, a phenomenon of enormous relevancy to questions of equity, political legitimacy, and development, which lie at the heart of the changes underway in Latin America.