Bolivarian missions

Missions of the Bolivarian Revolution of Venezuela
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The Bolivarian missions are a series of social programs implemented under the administration of former Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez[1] and continued by Chávez's successor, Nicolás Maduro; with the programs focusing on social justice, social welfare, anti-poverty, educational, and military recruiting. They draw their name from the historical South American hero, Simón Bolívar.

Using increasing oil prices since the early 2000s and funds not seen in Venezuela since the 1980s, Chávez created "Bolivarian missions",[1] which entailed the launching of government anti-poverty initiatives,[2] the construction of thousands of free medical clinics for the poor,[3] indigenous rights,[4] the institution of educational campaigns[5] and the enactment of food[6] and housing subsidies.[7] The Bolivarian missions are overseen with widespread experimentation in what Chávez's supporters call "citizen- and worker-managed governance."[8]

Mission Robinson (literacy), Mission Barrio Adentro (free medical coverage), and Mission Mercal (affordable food) are considered among the most important missions.[9]

Types

Education

Electoral

Environmental

Food and nutrition

Healthcare

Housing

Identification

Indigenous rights

Land reform

Rural development

Science

Socioeconomic transformation

Civilian militia

Culture

International assistance

Cuba

Many of these programs involve importing expertise from abroad; Venezuela is providing Cuba with 53,000 barrels (8,000 m³) of below-market-rate oil a day in exchange for the service of thousands of physicians, teachers, sports trainers, and other skilled professionals.[18]

In February 2010 seven Cuban doctors who defected to the US introduced an indictment against the governments of Cuba and Venezuela and the oil company PDVSA for what they considered was a conspiracy to force them to work under conditions of "modern slaves" as payment for the Cuban government' debt.[19] In 2014, it was reported by Miami NGO, Solidarity Without Borders, that at least 700 Cuban medical personnel had left Venezuela in the past year and that up to hundreds of Cuban personnel had asked for advice on how to escape from Venezuela weekly.[20] Solidarity Without Borders also stated that Cuban personnel cannot refuse to work, cannot express complaints and suffer with blackmail from threats against their family in Cuba.[20]

Impact

The Bolivarian missions have been praised for their effect on poverty, education and health, and are described as "ways to combat extreme forms of exclusion" and "the mainstay of progress in the fight against poverty."[9] Spending on social programs increasesd, free health care clinics were built, food was subsidized, and small manufacturing cooperatives were created.

On the other hand, critics argue that the Chávez government overspent on social spending without saving enough for economic distress, which Venezuela experienced shortly before and after Hugo Chávez's death and during the Economic policy of the Nicolás Maduro government.[21] Poverty, inflation and shortages then began to increase.[21]

A multi-university study in 2015 questioned the effectiveness of the Bolivarian missions, showing that only 10% of Venezuelans studied benefitted from the missions.[22] Of that 10%, almost half were not affected from poverty.[22] According to El Universal, experts stated that the missions actually worsened economic conditions in the country.[23]

Health care

Mission Barrio Adentro, one of the flagship Bolivarian Missions of the widest social impact, drew praise from the Latin American branch of the World Health Organization[24] and UNICEF.[25]

Barrio Adentro, however, has been criticized for poor working conditions of Cuban workers,[20] funding irregularities,[26] and an estimated 80% of Barrio Adentro establishments abandoned with some structures filled with trash or becoming unintentional shelters for the homeless.[27][28]

The infant mortality rate went down 5.9% between 1999 and 2013.[29][30] The Gini coefficient fell from 47.8 in 1999 to 44.8 in 2006.[31][32] The government earmarked 44.6% of the 2007 budget for social investment, with 1999-2007 averaging 12.8% of GDP.[33]

Poverty

During the Chávez's presidency, poverty fell from 49.4% in 1999 to 30.2% in 2006 and extreme poverty went down from 21.7% to 9.9% in the same period according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).[9] However, the ECLAC showed a nearly 7% jump in poverty in 2013, from 25.4% in 2012 increasing to 32.1% in 2013.[34]

In a multi-university study by the Andrés Bello Catholic University (UCAB), the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) and the Simon Bolivar University (USB), a comparison to the Venezuelan government's National Statistics Institute (INE) showed that overall poverty trends eventually reversed and increased between 1999 and 2015, rising from approximately 45% in 1999 to 48.4% in 2015 according to the study performed by universities.[23] Months later, the same universities found that 73% of Venezuelan households lived in poverty, with poverty increasing over 24% in about one year.[35]

Sustainability of missions

From the beginning of the Bolivarian missions and past Chávez's death, the sustainability of the missions was questioned.[1][21][22] The Bolivarian government's over dependence on oil funds for large populist policies led to overspending on social programs and strict government polices created difficulties for Venezuela's import reliant businesses.[1][21][22] Foreign Policy described Chávez's Venezuela as "one of the worst cases of Dutch Disease in the world" due to the Bolivarian government's large dependence on oil sales and its lavish spending to please voters.[36]

As a result of Chávez's policies, the durability of Bolivarian missions was put to the test shortly before and after Chávez's death, when poverty increased, inflation rose and widespread shortages in Venezuela occurred, with such effects growing especially into the presidency of Nicolas Maduro.[21][22][36] In 2014, Venezuela entered an economic recession.[37] Estimates of poverty by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and Luis Pedro España, a sociologist at the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, show an increase in poverty.[38] ECLAC showed a 2013 poverty rate of 32% while Pedro España calculated a 2015 rate of 48% with a poverty rate of 70% possible by the end of 2015.[38] According to Venezuelan NGO PROVEA, by the end of 2015, there would be the same number of Venezuelans living in poverty as there was in 2000, reversing the advancements against poverty by Hugo Chávez.[38]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Heritage, Andrew (December 2002). Financial Times World Desk Reference. Dorling Kindersley. pp. 618–621. ISBN 9780789488053.
  2. ↑ UNICEF. (UNICEF, 2005). "Venezuela’s Barrio Adentro: A Model of Universal Primary Health Care". Retrieved 15 October 2005. UNICEF, p. 2. "Barrio Adentro ... is part and parcel of the government's longterm poverty-reduction and social inclusion strategy to achieve and surpass the Millennium Development Goals."
  3. ↑ "Estrategia de Cooperación de OPS/OMS con Venezuela 2006-2008" (PDF) (in Spanish). Pan American Health Organization. June 2006. pp. p. 54. Retrieved 31 December 2006.
  4. ↑ Maurice Lemoine. How Chavez changed life in the tribal territories: New rights. Le Monde diplomatique, July 2007.
  5. ↑ Márquez, Humberto (28 October 2005). "Venezuela se declara libre de analfabetismo" (in Spanish). Inter Press Service. Retrieved 29 December 2006.
  6. ↑ Barreiro C., Raquel (4 March 2006). "Mercal es 34% más barato" (in Spanish). El Universal. Retrieved 29 December 2006.
  7. ↑ "Banco de la Vivienda transfirió 66 millardos para subsidios" (in Spanish). El Universal. 10 November 2006. Retrieved 29 December 2006.
  8. ↑ Ellsworth, Brian. (International Herald-Tribune, 3 August 2005). "Venezuela tries the worker-managed route". Retrieved 12 November 2005.
  9. 1 2 3 Justo, Marcelo (27 January 2009). "Entre los números y la realidad" (in Spanish). BBC. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  10. ↑ http://ceims.mppre.gob.ve/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46:mision-revolucion-energetica&catid=23:misiones-bolivarianas
  11. ↑ “We Want to Change Human Interaction with Nature”. Accessed 18 August 2006.
  12. ↑ Venezuela Training 400,000 in Open Source. Accessed 18 August 2006.
  13. ↑ Mission Science Grants 5,000 Scholarships. Accessed 18 August 2006.
  14. ↑ Chávez anunció núcleos endógenos militares para la resistencia. El Universal (18 January 2006) (Spanish)
  15. ↑ Ceaser, M. (BBC, 1 July 2005). "Chavez's 'citizen militias' on the march". Retrieved 27 June 2006.
  16. ↑ Venezuelanalysis, 11 July 2005.Venezuela Launches New Culture Mission
  17. ↑ Venezuelanalysis, 28 April 2009, Venezuela Opens National Art Gallery and Launches National Reading Plan
  18. ↑ Bruce, Iain. Venezuela shuns IMF advice on oil money. BBC News (24 November 2004).
  19. ↑ http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/noticia/144581/siete-medicos-cubanos-demandan-a-cuba-y-venezuela-por-esclavitud-moderna/
  20. 1 2 3 Vinogradoff, Ludmila (13 November 2014). "16 November 2014". ABC (Spanish). Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 Siegel, Robert (25 December 2014). "For Venezuela, Drop In Global Oil Prices Could Be Catastrophic". NPR. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 Scharfenberg, Ewald (1 February 2015). "Volver a ser pobre en Venezuela". El Pais. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  23. 1 2 María Rodríguez, Carmen (4 March 2015). "Dos años de crisis elevaron la pobreza a niveles de 1998". El Universal. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  24. ↑ WHO: República Bolivariana de Venezuela: Cumpliendo las Metas del Milenio – A report on Venezuela's objectives and progress regarding the UN Millennium Development Goals.
  25. ↑ UNICEF: Venezuela’s Barrio Adentro: A Model of Universal Primary Health Care
  26. ↑ Alonso, Juan (19 April 2014). "Contraloría detectó vicios en obras de Barrio Adentro III". El Universal. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  27. ↑ "El 80% de los módulos de Barrio Adentro del país está cerrado". La Patilla. 8 December 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  28. ↑ Matheus, Ricardo. Abandonados 70% de módulos de BA Diario 2001 (29 July 2007).
  29. ↑ Keppel, Stephen (17 January 2013). "5 Ways Hugo Chavez Has Destroyed the Venezuelan Economy". ABC News. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  30. ↑ "Millennium Development Goals Indicators". United Nations. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  31. ↑ "GINI index (World Bank estimate) 1995-1999". World Bank. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  32. ↑ World Bank "GINI index (World Bank estimate) 2005-2009" Check |url= value (help). Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  33. ↑ Perdomo, Eucaris (Panorama 24 October 2006). Economía venezolana ha crecido un 12,5% en últimos 12 trimestres(Spanish) Retrieved 24 October 2006
  34. ↑ "La pobreza en Venezuela aumentó a 32,1%, según la Cepal". La Patilla. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  35. ↑ "Study: Poverty in Venezuela at 73 percent of households". The Washington Post. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  36. 1 2 Corrales, Javier (7 March 2013). "The House That Chavez Built". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  37. ↑ Pons, Corina; Cawthorne, Andrew (30 December 2014). "Recession-hit Venezuela vows New Year reforms, foes scoff". Reuters. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  38. 1 2 3 Gallagher, J. J. (25 March 2015). "Venezuela: Does an increase in poverty signal threat to government?". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 29 March 2015.

References

External links

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