
The Collapse of Venezuela
Scorched Earth Politics and Economic Decline, 2012-2020
Francisco Rodriguez(Author)
University of Notre Dame Press
Published on 15. March 2025
Book
Hardback
538 pages
978-0-268-20901-8 (ISBN)
Description
The Collapse of Venezuela documents Venezuela's economic implosion as politicians adopted strategies that severely harmed the economy in their struggle for power.
Between 2012 and 2020, Venezuela suffered the largest economic contraction ever documented outside of wartime. This collapse was caused not just by the failure of an economic model but also the deeper failure of its political system to manage the conflicts inherent to a polarized society. The Collapse of Venezuela argues that when the stakes of power are high, politicians have an incentive to adopt political strategies that directly harm the economy. Author Francisco Rodriguez describes these scorched earth strategies and shows how politicians used these methods to target the Venezuelan economy in their fight for power. Ultimately, the conflicting sides have trapped the economy in a catastrophic stalemate that has destroyed the country's living standards and turned the economy into a political battlefield.
By charting Venezuela's experience with scorched earth politics, Rodriguez reveals an essential cautionary tale for other democracies around the globe.
Between 2012 and 2020, Venezuela suffered the largest economic contraction ever documented outside of wartime. This collapse was caused not just by the failure of an economic model but also the deeper failure of its political system to manage the conflicts inherent to a polarized society. The Collapse of Venezuela argues that when the stakes of power are high, politicians have an incentive to adopt political strategies that directly harm the economy. Author Francisco Rodriguez describes these scorched earth strategies and shows how politicians used these methods to target the Venezuelan economy in their fight for power. Ultimately, the conflicting sides have trapped the economy in a catastrophic stalemate that has destroyed the country's living standards and turned the economy into a political battlefield.
By charting Venezuela's experience with scorched earth politics, Rodriguez reveals an essential cautionary tale for other democracies around the globe.
Reviews / Votes
"The Collapse of Venezuela is the definitive account of the collapse of the Venezuelan economy. Rodriguez provides not only a page-turning play-by-play of the economic policy decisions that destroyed more than 70 percent of Venezuela's GDP but also a startling new theory of economically destructive political conflict." -Dorothy Kronick, University of California, BerkeleyMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Notre Dame IN
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
52 b&w illustrations, 12 tables - 12 Tables, black and white - 52 Figures
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
921 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-268-20901-8 (9780268209018)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Francisco Rodriguez
The Collapse of Venezuela
Scorched Earth Politics and Economic Decline, 2012-2020
E-Book
03/2025
1st Edition
University of Notre Dame Press
€144.99
Available for download

Francisco Rodriguez
The Collapse of Venezuela
Scorched Earth Politics and Economic Decline, 2012-2020
E-Book
03/2025
University of Notre Dame Press
€58.99
Available for download
Person
Francisco Rodriguez is the Rice Family Professor of the Practice of International and Public Affairs at the University of Denver's Josef Korbel School of International Studies. He is the co-editor of Venezuela before Chavez: Anatomy of an Economic Collapse.
Content
Preface
Part 1. The Political Economy of Economic Collapse
1. How Economies Self-Destruct
2. The Great Contraction
3. Scorched Earth Politics
Part 2. The Unraveling of Venezuela's Populist Experiment, 2012-2015
4. Populism Unplugged
5. Enter Maduro
6. Living Dangerously
7. Elections, The Stakes of Power, and Economic Policies
Part 3. The Descent Into Economically Destructive Political Conflict, 2016-2020
8. Becoming Toxic
9. Sanctioning Venezuela
10. Politicians Without Borders
Part 4. Extending the Framework
11. Scorched Earth Politics Beyond Venezuela
12. Venezuela Beyond Scorched Earth Politics
References
Part 1. The Political Economy of Economic Collapse
1. How Economies Self-Destruct
2. The Great Contraction
3. Scorched Earth Politics
Part 2. The Unraveling of Venezuela's Populist Experiment, 2012-2015
4. Populism Unplugged
5. Enter Maduro
6. Living Dangerously
7. Elections, The Stakes of Power, and Economic Policies
Part 3. The Descent Into Economically Destructive Political Conflict, 2016-2020
8. Becoming Toxic
9. Sanctioning Venezuela
10. Politicians Without Borders
Part 4. Extending the Framework
11. Scorched Earth Politics Beyond Venezuela
12. Venezuela Beyond Scorched Earth Politics
References