Jean-Paul Faguet

So, you know, if you trace Bolivia's presidents and cabinet ministers who then ascend to presidents, it's just remarkably stable for 50 years after the sorts of shocks that would have, and in fact, in other countries, did bring down entire political systems. And the Bolivian parties were robust to this. And then suddenly the whole system falls apart in 2003.

So, you know, if you trace Bolivia's presidents and cabinet ministers who then ascend to presidents, it's just remarkably stable for 50 years after the sorts of shocks that would have, and in fact, in other countries, did bring down entire political systems. And the Bolivian parties were robust to this. And then suddenly the whole system falls apart in 2003.

According to popular understanding, it's the kind of thing that you read even in the educated press, like the New York Times or The Economist or whatever, it seems to be caused by a series of demonstrations against water privatization in Cochabamba and then against provision or construction of a gas pipeline to Chile, to the historic enemy, Chile. They fought a war in the 19th century.

According to popular understanding, it's the kind of thing that you read even in the educated press, like the New York Times or The Economist or whatever, it seems to be caused by a series of demonstrations against water privatization in Cochabamba and then against provision or construction of a gas pipeline to Chile, to the historic enemy, Chile. They fought a war in the 19th century.

Like the idea that a couple of demonstrations in Cochabamba and La Paz brought down political party systems that have withstood 50,000 percent inflation and something like 15 coup d'etat is absurd. Right. No, it can't be.

Like the idea that a couple of demonstrations in Cochabamba and La Paz brought down political party systems that have withstood 50,000 percent inflation and something like 15 coup d'etat is absurd. Right. No, it can't be.

Yeah, yeah, that's right. So I can answer the first question better if I answer the second one first, and then the first one becomes quite kind of clearer. So the

Yeah, yeah, that's right. So I can answer the first question better if I answer the second one first, and then the first one becomes quite kind of clearer. So the

The theory that I use in this paper is something that was created by a couple of very smart political scientists who did political sociology in the mid-20th century called Martin Lipset and Stein Rakan, and they were analyzing Western Europe. And their theory is that a political party system will operate in an ideological and programmatic space.

The theory that I use in this paper is something that was created by a couple of very smart political scientists who did political sociology in the mid-20th century called Martin Lipset and Stein Rakan, and they were analyzing Western Europe. And their theory is that a political party system will operate in an ideological and programmatic space.

Now, by programmatic space, I mean, what are the issues and how do you combine different issues? So it's not obvious, for example, that if you're pro-business, you're going to be, I don't know, anti-LGBTQ or something like that. That happens to happen. In a number of countries. In other countries, it doesn't necessarily, those issues don't combine in a particular way.

Now, by programmatic space, I mean, what are the issues and how do you combine different issues? So it's not obvious, for example, that if you're pro-business, you're going to be, I don't know, anti-LGBTQ or something like that. That happens to happen. In a number of countries. In other countries, it doesn't necessarily, those issues don't combine in a particular way.

Or if you're right wing, you're going to be pro-farmer. It's not obvious that that would be the case, but it does happen in some places and it doesn't in others. So what they say is that a political party system should have main characteristics that map onto the main political cleavage. And they coined this term, a political cleavage, which defines the society.

Or if you're right wing, you're going to be pro-farmer. It's not obvious that that would be the case, but it does happen in some places and it doesn't in others. So what they say is that a political party system should have main characteristics that map onto the main political cleavage. And they coined this term, a political cleavage, which defines the society.

And so through a series of historical processes in Western Europe, you get a party system that's left versus right, where left is pro-worker party. Pro-larger government with bigger taxes and a bigger welfare state that's in favor of the little guy, as it were. And right wing is pro-capital, pro-business. Capitalism, the owners of capital, the owners of businesses, factories, etc.

And so through a series of historical processes in Western Europe, you get a party system that's left versus right, where left is pro-worker party. Pro-larger government with bigger taxes and a bigger welfare state that's in favor of the little guy, as it were. And right wing is pro-capital, pro-business. Capitalism, the owners of capital, the owners of businesses, factories, etc.

Pro-business, lower taxes, a smaller state. And in Europe, this also maps into center versus periphery because of the nature of the national revolution that happened typically in Germany and Italy in the 19th century, the 1800s, for example.

Pro-business, lower taxes, a smaller state. And in Europe, this also maps into center versus periphery because of the nature of the national revolution that happened typically in Germany and Italy in the 19th century, the 1800s, for example.

So without getting too much into detail on Europe, what I find for Bolivia is that Bolivia had kind of the wrong political party system built on a false cleavage that did not define the Bolivian society and wasn't reflected by Bolivians, by who they are, by the main things that do actually characterize Bolivian society.

So without getting too much into detail on Europe, what I find for Bolivia is that Bolivia had kind of the wrong political party system built on a false cleavage that did not define the Bolivian society and wasn't reflected by Bolivians, by who they are, by the main things that do actually characterize Bolivian society.