Democracy for the poor: Is Hugo Chavez's Venezuala a democracy?

Since the dominant literature on democracy does not explain how poor nations can build lasting democracies, the goal of this research project is to deconstruct democratic theory and explore its application in Venezuela. Looking at liberal democratic theory, democratic centralism, and substantive democracy as well as the make-up of the 1999 Constitution, the National Assembly, the Enabling Laws, and the media in Venezuela, I will research the concept of "democracy" and apply it to the case of Venezuela under Hugo Chavez to answer the question: "Are Hugo Chavez's recent policies in line with any democratic theory or is Venezuela moving to dictatorship?".