Autocracy Rising: How Venezuela Transitioned to Authoritarianism

How Nicolás Maduro reinvented authoritarianism for the twenty-first centurVenezuela, which once enjoyed periods of democratically elected governments in the latter half of the twentieth century, has descended into autocratic rule, coupled with economic collapse. In his new book, Autocracy Rising, veteran scholar of Latin American politics Javier Corrales explores how and why this happened.

Corrales focuses on two themes: party systems and institutional capacity. He argues that Venezuela’s de...