Communal Councils in Venezuela: Nationalizing Participatory Planning

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Communal Councils in Venezuela Nationalizing
Participatory Planning

• Josh Lerner
• Planners Network 2007 Conference New Orleans

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Venezuela
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Communal Councils in Venezuela

• Law of Communal Councils passed April 2006
• The fundamental law for revolutionary
  democracy and the Bolivarian political system -
  Hugo Chavez
• Followed up on previous decentralizing laws and
  participatory processes (Bolivarian Circles,
  Electoral Battle Units, Local Public Planning
  Councils)

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The Communal Councils Law

• - The communal councils... are manifestations of
  participation, expression and integration between
  diverse community organizations, social groups,
  and citizens, which allows organized society to
  directly manage public policy and projects that
  respond to the needs and aspirations of
  communities, and the construction of an equal and
  just society.
• - Communal councils are to be organized in
  self-defined geographic regions containing
  200-400 families in urban areas, at least 20
  families in rural areas, and at least 10 families
  in indigenous communities.

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The Communal Councils Law

• All decisions are to be made in citizen
  assemblies with a minumum of 10 of residents
  over age 15.
• Each council is to have executive, financial
  management, and social comptroller committees,
  plus thematic work committees based on
  community priorities (health, education,
  recreation, land, safety)

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Communal Councils in Practice

• Each council can receive up to 14,000 for
  proposed projects, directly from the Presidential
  Commission of Popular Power
• Councils can submit larger projects or proposals
  to their citys district councils or
  participatory budget
• gt16,000 councils formed in first year, 12,000
  projects funded, with 1 billion from national
  government

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The Big Picture?
nation states cities district
councils communal councils

? Decision-making ?
? ? ? ?
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• Learning from the Communal Councils
• Questions and challenges for participatory
  planning

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• 1 Popular participation in what?

Is this popular participation?
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Downloading in disguise?

• - When does popular participation work
  flexibilization?
• Participation in making government decisions or
  implementing them?
• What are the benefits of volunteer work?
• - When should people be compensated for
  participating?

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• 2 How do you deal with disagreements?

Government official introducing the communal
councils law at a public assembly Let's hear
applause for our supreme leader Hugo Chavez,
who's really fabulous! Onwards to socialism of
the 21st century!
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If only one side debates, is it democracy?

• Chantal Mouffe the task of democracy is to
  transform antagonism (an us/them relation in
  which the two sides are enemies that do not
  share any common ground) into agonism (an
  us/them relation where the two parties are in
  conflict but recognize each others legitimacy)
• Venezuelan antagonism

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If decisions are predetermined, are they
democratic?

• Claude Lefort Democracy is revolutionary because
  it is indeterminate decisions are left to the
  will of the people at each historical moment
• A communal councils predetermined
  priority

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• 3 How do you balance local control the common
  good?

If a neighborhood like this decides to oppose
development like this is it local
democracy or NIMBYism (Not In
My BackYard)?
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Autonomy and/or integration?

• - What happens when neighborhood decisions are
  not in the best interest of the city? When city
  decisions are not in the best interest of the
  state?
• - How are local planning processes integrated
  together at the regional level? The national?
• - How are they linked to separate regional and
  national planning processes?

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• 4 How many rules should there be?

Venezuelan laws for sale
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Too many rules or too few?

• How detailed should the rules be?
• Who writes the rules?
• How can the rules be changed? How often? By whom?

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• 5 How do you get enough people to participate?

• Oscar Wilde The problem with socialism is that
  it will take up too many evenings.

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How can participatory planning attract more
people?

• Lessons from Venezuela
• 1) Provide direct control over public funds.
• 2) Focus participation on the hyper-local level.
• 3) Have the central government provide support
  and accountability.
• 4) Make participation fun and social.

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Challenges for popular participation

• What are the hidden costs of free money?
• How do you build trust in the political system?
• How can people have more time to participate?