Development from the state in Ecuador: the analysis of the Plan Nacional de Desarrollo and the Constitución 2008

Abstract

Rafael Correa took office as president of Ecuador in January 2007; his presidency has been linked to the rebirth" of the left in Latin America. He presented himself as an outsider an alternative to the traditional way of doing politics in the country. This study pretends to make sense of what I consider as basic notions presented in two key documents elaborated by the government; the Plan Nacional de Desarrollo 2007 2010 and the Constitución 2008, both part of the revolución ciudadana. By reflecting on notions of development, rights vs. Vulnerability and citizenship, I attempt to construct a framework to understand not only both documents but the project of the government. This is a discussion on mainly issues of equality and justice. I propose a way of seen these documents through a series of lenses; to make reference to the governmental initiatives of development in Ecuador. On April 26 Correa won the latest electoral elections in the country allowing him to stay as president one more term, the majority of Ecuadorians have decided to back up the project of the government, thus I consider that an effort of making sense of the project.