Paper Tigers and Minotaurs: The Politics of Venezuela's Economic Reforms

by Moisés Naím

Political and economic reform is at the top of national agendas around the world. This book based on Moises Naim's participation in the Venezuelan reform experience and as executive director at the World Bank raises questions and explores problems crucial to achieving national reform strategies. Naim's lucid analysis grapples with the problems of dealing with entrenched interests bent on derailing reform; allaying the corrosive effects of corruption and public outcry over inequitable burdens; coping with the political instability brought on by decimated public institutions; managing the impact of reforms on the military establishment; and mobilizing public support for measures as essential as they are painful. The heady days of revolution are gone and these and other dilemmas now confront besieged reform governments everywhere. The problem of managing these in the real world is the subject this book tackles.

Genres: Economics, History

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Moisés Naím is an internationally-syndicated columnist and best-selling author of influential books. In 2011, he launched Efecto Naím, an innovative weekly television program highlighting surprising world trends with visually-striking videos, graphics and interviews with world leaders which is widely watched in Latin America today. Dr. Naím gained international recognition with the successful re-launch of the prominent journal Foreign Policy and, over his fourteen years (1996-2010) as editor, turned the magazine into a modern, award-winning publication on global politics and economics.

Author of books:
* Paper Tigers and Minotaurs: The Politics of Venezuela's Economic Reforms (1993, economics)
* Altered States: Globalization, Sovereignty and Governance (2000, economics)
* Illicit: How Smugglers, Traffickers and Copycats Are Hijacking the Global Economy (2005, economics)
* The End of Power: From Boardrooms to Battlefields and Churches to States, Why Being in Charge Isn't What It Used to Be (2013, social studies)

Reviews

[Carlos Rangel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books for understanding the process of economic reform that took place in the early 90s in Venezuela and how it backfired in some extent, but prevailed in others. A must read for addressing key underlying challenges that still predominates currently in Venezuela.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Naim comes to tell the stupid people why his gang was *the best* and how *they* (anyone outside his gang) have made the current situation possible.

[Pachyderm Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author was a minister in the second gotvernment of Carlos Perez. As a social democrat elected in 1988, Perez inherited a bankrupt country, where he was obliged to impose austerity. At this time, some 400 people were killed by the police during "caracazo" (riots).

In this monograph, the author lucidly and enthusiastically explains how a technically sound economic program was both ravished and ruined by by Perez's poor political salesmanship, inspiring the rival Chavez to implement his own 1992 coup attempt.*

*El autor fue ministro en el segundo gobierno de Carlos Pérez. Como socialdemócrata elegido en 1988, Pérez heredó un país en bancarrota, donde se vio obligado a imponer medidas de austeridad. En ese momento, unas 400 personas fueron asesinadas por la policía durante el "caracazo".

En esta monografía, el autor explica con lucidez y entusiasmo cómo un programa económico técnicamente sólido fue destrozado y arruinado por la deficiente estrategia política de Pérez, inspirando a su rival Chávez a llevar a cabo su propio intento de golpe de Estado en 1992.

[Edward White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moisés Naím offers a sharp analysis of Venezuela's economic reforms and the political forces that shaped them. Naím dives into how attempts at reform, often touted as progressive, faltered due to entrenched corruption, misguided policies, and conflicting interests. Through a mix of economic insight and political critique, Naím paints a complex picture of a nation struggling to balance economic growth with political stability. This book is a valuable read for anyone looking to understand the deeper roots of Venezuela’s economic troubles and the intricate power dynamics that fuel them.

[Victoria Clemente · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent display of the mystical, bureaucratic, immature and short-sighted nature of Venezuela's oil-infested economic policies of the '70s, '80s and '90s and their sociodemocratic end.