Biography
Carlos De la Torre is the director of the Center for Latin American Studies. He is an expert on populism, democratization, authoritarianism, racism and citizenship in the Americas.
Areas of Expertise (5)
Racism and Citizenship in the Americas
Populism
Latin American Studies
Democratization
Authoritarianism
Media Appearances (4)
Peru, Ecuador head to the polls amid fresh lockdown measures
FRANCE 24 online
2021-04-10
“The followers of Arauz and Correa say that it is a dispute between neoliberalism and a vision of a more state-driven management of public resources, post-neoliberal they call it,” said Carlos de la Torre, director of the Centre for Latin American Studies at the University of Florida in the Unitede States. “I don’t know how much they can do with such depleted resources. It’s honestly a total disaster, and there’s a lot of anger, a lot of contained anger.”
En Équateur, l’avenir incertain du Président Lenín Moreno
The Conversation online
2019-10-13
Depuis plusieurs jours, l’Équateur traverse une crise politique majeure : des milliers d’indigènes et de paysans protestent contre l’augmentation du prix du pétrole décidée par le gouvernement du libéral Lenín Moreno – au pouvoir depuis 2017. Mercredi 9 octobre, les manifestants ont afflué massivement dans la capitale Quito et de violents affrontements ont eu lieu entre les manifestants et la police, laissant plusieurs personnes blessées.
El incierto futuro de Lenín Moreno en Ecuador
The Conversation online
2019-10-09
Sobreviva o no el gobierno ecuatoriano de Lenín Moreno, el gran ganador de esta coyuntura es el expresidente Rafael Correa.
The Perils of Populist Succession in Ecuador
Wilson Center online
2018-02-26
Populist presidents are often giants with feet of clay. At the same time that they seem to have a firm grip of power, their personalist style of rule means that without their leadership, their movements and political projects can disintegrate. After winning the 2013 election with over 50 percent of the vote, President Rafael Correa’s party, Alianza País, controlled the assembly (as congress is called in Ecuador), the courts of justice, and all institutions of accountability.
Articles (2)
The Pushback Against Populism: Why Ecuador's Referendums Backfired
Journal of DemocracyFelipe Burbano de Lara and Carlos de la Torre
2020-04-01
Since taking office in May 2017, Ecuadorean president Lenín Moreno has made headline-grabbing efforts to reverse the transformations wrought by his populist predecessor, Rafael Correa (2007–17). Initially elected as Correa's handpicked successor and the candidate of his Alianza PAIS movement, Moreno departed from the course set by Correa on matters ranging from the abolition of term limits to the launch of anticorruption investigations.
Do We Need a Minimum Definition of Populism? An Appraisal of Mudde’s Conceptualization
PopulismCarlos de la Torre and Oscar Mazzoleni
2019-05-07
This contribution discusses the advantages and disadvantages of Cas Mudde’s minimalist definition to study populism. It argues that his proposal might facilitate consensus among scholars, yet his conceptualization is an obstacle to grasp the complexity of populism in its diverse manifestations over continuum and time. Moreover, some underlying normative assumptions limit the reach of his concept to small rightwing populist European parties at the fringes of the political system.
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