委内瑞拉利益集团与政治变迁

利益集团是政治变迁中重要的政治行为体之一。作为委内瑞拉传统的利益集团,工人联合会与商会联合会的发展在制度的长期作用下形成了独特的路径依赖。特别是自1958年菲霍角体系建立以后,两大利益集团通过咨询委员会与分权公共管理部门的设置充分参与整个决策过程。由于利益集团自身强大的实力以及总统、行政机关、国会等其他行为体的角色设定,利益集团在决策过程中起到举足轻重的作用。两大利益集团在此过程中与政府、政党、公民社会的紧密联系促进了利益表达机制的高效性。但随着20世纪80年代委内瑞拉经济的衰退,利益集团与政府、政党、公民社会之间的关系逐渐恶化,原有的利益表达机制受到破坏。利益表达渠道受阻引起了公民社会的不满与抗议,社会矛盾与政治冲突加剧,进而对20世纪80年代的政治危机与经济危机的爆发产生重大影响。在全面危机爆发之后,委内瑞拉以菲霍角协议为基础的政治协商体系瓦解,以查韦斯为代表的左翼政党开始登上政治舞台,委内瑞拉政治进程进入新阶段。

Interest Groups and Political Transition in Venezuela

Interest groups are important political actors in political transitionAs the traditional two major interest groups in Venezuela,the development of Worker’s Confederationof Venezuela(CTV)and Federation of Chambers and Associations of Commerce and Production of Venezuela(FEDECAMARAS)has formed a particular path dependence under the long-term influence of the regimeEspecially since the establishment of the Pacto de Punto Fijo system in 1958,the two interest groups have fully participated in the decision-making process through the establishment of two sets of institutions,i.e.,the Consultative Commission and Decentralized Public AdministrationInterest groups’decisive role in decision-making process is because of the groups’own strength and the roles setting of other political actors like the president,the executive branch and the congressIn this process,the close relationship between the two interest groups and government,political parties and civil society has promoted the efficiency of the interest expression mechanismHowever,with the recession of the Venezuelan economy in the 1980s,this relationship has gradually deteriorated,and traditional mechanism of interest expression has been underminedThe obstruction of interest expression channels caused dissatisfaction and protests from both interest groups and civil society,hence the social-political conflicts intensified,which was one of the major factors leading to the outbreak of crisis in the 1980sAfter the outbreak of the full-scale crisis,Venezuela’s political consultation system based on the Pacto de Punto Fijo collapsed,and the left-wing party represented by Hugo Chavez began to step on the political arenaHence the political process in Venezuela has entered a new stage.