Bolivarian Missions

The Bolivarian Missions are a number of programs designed primarily to reduce poverty and social security of the population, as well as other destinations. They were started by the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez after his election in 1998 and are named after Simón Bolívar, the liberator of South America.

History

Before, social programs that benefit the poor, virtually non-existent. Although the establishment of a free health care, a public school system as well as an active employment policy has been tried already during the so-called Golden Years (1973-1983) of the oil boom. However, corruption and patronage meant that a large proportion of the poor thereof could not benefit. With the decline in oil prices in the 80s Venezuela experienced a major economic crisis and had to rely on assistance from the International Monetary Fund. This demanded as part of its structural adjustment programs substantial cuts in social spending that were scaled back in the following years.

First social programs, which provided, inter alia, free health care, Hugo Chavez launched under the name Plan Bolivar 2000 in February 1999. Positive effects were indeed noticeable, but they still do not reach the mass of the marginalized, v. because of a indignation and the passive resistance of the traditional institutions. Among other things, in response to the passage of legislation for the introduction of social programs in 2001, the opposition launched a wave of attacks on the Chavez government, which lasted until mid-2003. Only after the government began to reorganize the social programs that have now been called Misiones, because to attempt to achieve maximum effect within a very short time. Here, the government relies increasingly on social movements in the slums. Many expenditures were financed directly from the state oil company PDVSA, and health care for the poor quarter was largely met by Cuban doctors, because most Venezuelan doctors refused to be working there. The construction of new structures and institutions for specific tasks was also therefore carried out in order to bypass the passive resistance in the ministries that are still permeated by opposition supporters.

List of Bolivarian Missions

The following table lists all of the Bolivarian Missions and their objectives:

Effect

Many Misiones only a few years there. Therefore, statements about their success at the moment are difficult. According to official figures, the Misión Robinson achieved the most visible successes: the illiteracy rate was reduced, according to the Ministry of Education in a few years from 6.12 to 1%. However, this was not confirmed by the UNESCO. However, a study by the Wesleyan University could see little positive effects or rambling no statistically significant correlations between the Misión Robinson and literacy. According to the two authors, the results with the official specification of a complete eradicate illiteracy appear to be inconsistent.

Shortly after the inauguration of Hugo Chavez in 1999 lived, according to the Economic Commission of the United Nations almost 50 % of the population of Venezuela in poverty. In 2006, this rate had dropped to 30%. The Gini coefficient decreased from 0.5 to 0.44. This is due to the missions among others. So the poor have free access to many drugs, including retroviral cocktails against AIDS. 15 million people are supplied by the Mercal supermarkets with subsidized food.

Life expectancy increased from 72.18 years (1999) to 73.18 years (2004); the infant mortality rate was reduced from 18.5 per thousand to 16.8 per thousand in 2004.

Unemployment was reduced from 16.6 % ( 1999) to 11.5% (2005 ) by the government encouraged, for example, as part of the Misión Vuelvan Caras establishing of cooperatives and their products buys preferred.

To date, the Misiones Hábitat and Zamora, however, remained far behind their plans. It was only a fraction of the actually planned houses built for the poor and the land reform is slow going.

Classification

The Misiones are part of an overall strategy of the Chavez government, which rejects a neo-liberal economic policy and strives to make the entire population will benefit directly from high revenues from oil production. A long-term social and economic transformation of society is aimed towards a socialism of the 21st century.

Criticism

From the Venezuelan opposition 's criticism was voiced, the hygienic and medical standards of the new health centers were low and the Cuban doctors would indoctrinate their patients. This claim is, however, disputed by international observers.

Many launched under the Misiones measures were the time - journalist Rainer Luyken 's view actually nothing new. Thus, the health mission Barrio Adentro have two similar precursors, which were initiated by the previous governments. What is new about her was simply that Cuban doctors now believe also in the loaded high violent crime slums while their wealthy Venezuelan colleagues for fear of kidnappings and ransom demands, this rather avoid.

The newspaper Boston Globe cited fears that the high spending on health, education and infrastructure may affect private consumption.

Critics complain that obtained by the Misiones many Venezuelans a permanent and non -earned income.