CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2021
| Author | Ocana, Adolfo |
|---|---|
| Title | The Impact On The Regulation Of Democracy Of The Constituent Processes In Bolivia, Colombia, And Ecuador. Lessons For The Chilean Constituent Process |
| Summary | The social crisis that began in Chile in October 2019 overwhelmed the political system. Massive demonstrations forced Congress to approve a constitutional reform to initiate a constituent process, which is currently underway. This thesis analyzes the potential of the constituent process for strengthening the Chilean democracy. Therefore, this research consists of a comparative study of the constituent processes carried out in Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador, countries with a socio-political and cultural context similar to that of Chile. The focus of this thesis is the regulation of democracy, with a special emphasis on the mechanisms of direct democracy- one of the attributes used to assess the quality of democracy which Chile currently lacks. In this analysis, I examine similarities between the Chilean process and the processes in Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador, both in origin and structure. My research results show that in all cases democracy was strengthened by incorporating direct democracy mechanisms in the constitution. Likewise, among other changes, fundamental rights were strengthened, particularly with regard to gender equality and education. These aspects in particular played a key role in promoting the values of democracy. I argue that although this comparative analysis indicates the positive impact of a constituent process on the regulation of democracy in Chile, this necessary process alone, is an insufficient condition to guarantee the stability of a democratic system over time. |
| Supervisor | Evelyne Hübscher |
| Department | Public Policy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2021/ocana_adolfo.pdf |
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