The Politicization of Courts and Democratic Erosion: Venezuela in Comparative Perspective

• In Event: Challenges of Democracy in Latin America in the 21st Century

Abstract

This paper summarizes the first three chapters of my book manuscript The Politicization of Courts and Democratic Erosion: Venezuela in Comparative Perspective. In sum, the paper explains the theoretical and practical importance of studying the politicization of courts in processes of democratic erosion, highlighting why Venezuela is an ideal case to study the topic. The paper then elaborates on the formal and informal dimensions of the politicization of courts in processes of democratic erosion, grounded in relevant scholarship, and with special reference to Latin America and Venezuela in particular. With respect to the informal dimension of the politicization of courts—one of the main lines of argument in the book—it delves further, discussing the linkages between judges and political actors—especially elected leaders—and exploring their implications for the role of courts in weakly institutionalized democracies. The paper finishes by explaining how this framework helps explain the Venezuelan case in different eras of the country’s regime trajectory from democracy to autocracy, and offers a summary discussion of other cases for comparison.

Author

• Raul A Sanchez Urribarri, La Trobe University