Populism and Democracy in Ecuador

The central idea of the project is to understand the alternative ways in which young democracies seek to deepen this regime. Traditionally, populism has been understood as a deviation from democracy. Nevertheless, and before the circumstances specific to each state, it is pertinent to investigate how much populism can serve as an instrument for the deepening of democracy. The Ecuadorian case is sufficiently revealing, because throughout its history populism has not only been a constant but has been key in the democratization processes in the twentieth century.