TY - GEN T1 - Paper tigers and minotaurs : the politics of Venezuela's economic reforms A1 - Naím, Moisés LA - English PP - Washington, D.C. PB - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace YR - 1993 UL - https://ebooks.jgu.edu.in/Record/jstor_eba_ocn647058051 AB - "Venezuela, a country boasting one of the oldest and more affluent democracies in Latin America offers a case study exemplifying the complex links between market reforms and political instability. After the painful economic shock that accompanied the launching of the reform program in 1989, Venezuela enjoyed some of the highest economic rates in the world. Yet, this once politically stable, country turned suddenly and traumatically unstable. Two violent army revolts, widespread political turmoil and the ouster of President Carlos Andres Perez suddenly transformed a glowing example of successful economic liberalization into a gloomy reminder of the political costs of market reforms." AB - "In rich and illuminating detail, the book analyzes this transformation and the consequences of the new policies that were meant to deal with the deepest economic crisis in Venezuela's history. The crisis was a classic and instructive example for governments everywhere that are undergoing the transition toward markets and away from state intervention. The author examines the initial impact of the reforms on the country's economy and the social situation, including the practical problems and the politics of implementing social "safety nets" to help the poor cope with the harsh burdens of economic adjustments. The book deals forthrightly with the central challenges to economic reform: the military and its reaction to reform and instability; the link between economic liberalization and corruption; the emergence of "media barons" as a political force brandishing unprecedented power; the inability of the government to communicate effectively with the people and build support for the reforms; the effects of the fierce rivalries that broke out among private economic groups; the demise of Carlos Andres Perez, once the most popular and powerful of the country's political leaders." "This engrossing reconstruction and interpretation of the Venezuelan experience is filled with lessons, insights, and deeper questions for all who enter the labyrinth determined to distinguish between the paper tigers and minotaurs that confront economic and political change."--Jacket. OP - 180 NO - "A Carnegie Endowment book." CN - HC237 .N35 1993 SN - 9780870032950 SN - 087003295X SN - 9780870030253 SN - 0870030256 SN - 9780870030260 SN - 0870030264 KW - Venezuela : Economic policy. KW - Venezuela : Economic conditions : 1958- KW - Venezuela : Politics and government : 1974- KW - Venezuela : Conditions économiques : 1958- KW - POLITICAL SCIENCE : Political Economy. KW - Economic history KW - Economic policy KW - Politics and government KW - Venezuela KW - Wirtschaftsreform KW - Economische hervormingen. KW - Since 1958 ER -