John Polga-Hecimovich

Associate Professor of Political Science, U.S. Naval AcademyVisiting Researcher, Universidad de Salamanca (2022–23)

Google Scholar ORCID 0000-0002-0711-6255 Dataverse USNA Political Science

Publications

Featured book

Authoritarian Consolidation in Times of Crisis: Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro

Edited by John Polga-Hecimovich and Raúl Sánchez Urribarrí

How did Nicolás Maduro turn a weakening hybrid regime into a consolidated dictatorship, despite economic collapse, mass emigration, and international pressure? This volume brings together scholars from across the social sciences to answer that question. Its chapters examine the military, elections, the economy, the opposition, the courts, control of information, criminal governance, and Venezuela's foreign alliances, and the book develops the concept of authoritarian consolidation for comparative use.

Order from Routledge Read online (DOI)

Contents

Chapters by John Polga-Hecimovich are marked ●.

Introduction: Venezuela's Political Crisis and the Concept of Authoritarian Consolidation ●

Part I. Domestic factors

Coup-Proofing the Venezuelan Military: Maduro's Innovations in the Face of Adversity ●
Control Tools: Elections, Maduro's Authoritarianism, and Regime Survival
Authoritarian Capitalism in Venezuela: The Political Economy of Maduro's Disorderly Liberalization
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: The Venezuelan Opposition under Maduro
Venezuela's (Un)Rule of Law under Nicolás Maduro
The Control of the Information Environment as a Pillar of Authoritarian Consolidation in Venezuela
Criminal Governance in the Post-Chávez Revolution in Times of Questioned Legitimacy
Can Decentralization Contribute to Authoritarian Consolidation? Venezuela under Chávez and Maduro

Part II. International factors

The Nexus of Power: Autocratic International Cooperation and the Consolidation of Authoritarianism in Venezuela
The Maduro Doctrine: Foreign Policy Strategy and Regime Survival in Contemporary Venezuela
Circular Talks: Political Dialogue, Foreign Facilitation, and Authoritarian Learning in Venezuela
U.S. Foreign Policy, the Opposition, and the Maduro Government: Venezuela's Authoritarian Slide in Ten Episodes
Exit, Voice, Loyalty, and Hunger: The Instrumentalization of Emigration under Nicolás Maduro
The Venezuelan Diaspora and Maduro's Authoritarian Consolidation

Part III. Critical reflections

Evaluating Authoritarian Consolidation in Venezuela ●

Recognition and reviews

Named one of The Economist’s “Six books to read about Venezuela” (January 2026)
ReVista: The Harvard Review of Latin America — Deborah Norden, 2026
European Political Science — Mariana Vahlis, 2026
Cahiers des Amériques latines — Thomas Posado, 2026

Details

Routledge, March 2025 · 344 pages · ISBN 978-1-032-60165-6

2026
Venezuela 2025: Chronicle of a Fall Foretold
With Raúl Sánchez Urribarrí. Revista de Ciencia Política, 46(2)
2026
Tracing Bilateral Security Cooperation: The Asymmetric Deterioration of US–Venezuelan Defense Relations
With Fabiana Perera. International Politics, 63: 633–658
PDF
2025
Authoritarian Consolidation in Times of Crisis: Venezuela under Nicolás MaduroBook
With Raúl Sánchez Urribarrí (eds.). New York: Routledge
Reviews: ReVista: The Harvard Review of Latin America (Deborah Norden, 2026) · European Political Science (Mariana Vahlis, 2026) · Cahiers des Amériques latines (Thomas Posado, 2026)
About the book ↑
Named one of The Economist’s “Six books to read about Venezuela” (January 2026)
2025
Introduction: Venezuela's Political Crisis and the Concept of Authoritarian ConsolidationChapter
With Raúl Sánchez Urribarrí. In Authoritarian Consolidation in Times of Crisis: Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro, ed. J. Polga-Hecimovich and R. Sánchez Urribarrí. New York: Routledge, 1–20
2025
Coup-Proofing the Venezuelan Military: Maduro's Innovations in the Face of AdversityChapter
In Authoritarian Consolidation in Times of Crisis: Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro, ed. J. Polga-Hecimovich and R. Sánchez Urribarrí. New York: Routledge, 23–41
2025
Evaluating Authoritarian Consolidation in VenezuelaChapter
With Raúl Sánchez Urribarrí. In Authoritarian Consolidation in Times of Crisis: Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro, ed. J. Polga-Hecimovich and R. Sánchez Urribarrí. New York: Routledge, 299–311
2025
Las elecciones presidenciales de Ecuador 2025: ¿Realineamiento y bipartidismo sin partidos?
With Javier Rodríguez Sandoval. Revista Uruguaya de Ciencia Política, 34(1)
PDF
2025
Presidential Failure—or Party Failure? A Review Essay
Political Science Quarterly, advance online publication
PDF
2025
Transnational Organized Crime and the Venezuelan State
Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, 26(1): 238–246
PDF
2025
The Logic of Ambitious Legislators in Fluid Party Systems
Thomas J. Mustillo, J. Polga-Hecimovich, and Francisco Sánchez. Legislative Studies Quarterly, 50(2): 148–165
2025
Representation and Party Dynamics: The Interplay of Electoral Systems, Social Cleavages, and Political Ideas in ChileChapter
With Kenneth Bunker. In Crisis de la representatividad de la democracia liberal: presente y futuro, ed. J. Abedrapo Rojas. Santiago, Chile: Tirant lo Blanch, 81–118
2025
PrólogoChapter
In ¿Cuál es el impacto real de las sanciones sobre Cuba y Venezuela? Una mirada plural alejada de la propaganda oficial, ed. S. Angel Baquero. Bogotá: Universidad Sergio Arboleda, 9–11
PDF
2024
Political Survival and… Authoritarian Consolidation? The Maduro Government and Venezuela's Political Crisis
With Raúl Sánchez Urribarrí. Pensamiento Propio, 28(58): 17–49
PDF
2024
Latin AmericaChapter
In The Routledge Handbook of Autocratization, ed. A. Croissant and L. Tomini. Abingdon: Routledge
2024
Latin America: Between Governability Crises and the Impeachment TrapChapter
In Impeachment in a Global Context: Law, Politics and Comparative Practice, ed. C. Monaghan, A. Huq, and M. Flinders. New York: Routledge, 100–115
PDF
2024
Maxwell A. Cameron and Grace M. Jaramillo, eds., Challenges to Democracy in the Andes: Strongmen, Broken Constitutions, and Regimes in CrisisBook review
Latin American Politics and Society, 66(1): 193–196
PDF
2024
Fortunato Musella, Monocratic Government: The Impact of Personalization on Democratic RegimesBook review
Contemporary Italian Politics, 16(1): 99–101
PDF
2023
Civil-Military Relations and Democracy in Latin America in the 2020sChapter
In Latin America in Times of Turbulence: Presidentialism under Stress, ed. M. Llanos and L. Marsteintredet. New York: Routledge, 188–205
PDF
2023
The Evolution of Crime Policy and Attitudes Toward Mano Dura in EcuadorChapter
In Mano Dura Policies in Latin America, ed. S. Cutrona and J. Rosen. New York: Routledge, 99–114
PDF
2023
La persecución de los secretos: cómo las agencias de inteligencia se arriesgan a socavar a los líderesChapter
With Cullen Nutt. In Inteligencia estratégica del futuro: pensamiento crítico e interconectado en un mundo global, ed. M.D. Ordóñez. Alcalá: Marcial Pons, 99–112
2023
Javier Corrales, Autocracy Rising: How Venezuela Transitioned to AuthoritarianismBook review
ReVista: The Harvard Review of Latin America
PDF
2022
Coaliciones reformistas y tipo de régimen: Una teoría del cambio electoral aplicado al Ecuador
Revista Ecuatoriana de Ciencia Política, 1(1): 81–100
PDF English version (PDF)
2022
Venezuelan Regional Elections, Democratic Backsliding, and Autocratization in the 2010s
Regional & Federal Studies, 32(4): 437–458
PDF
2022
Divergent Paths of (De-)Politicization: The Colombian and Venezuelan Public AdministrationsChapter
In Handbook on the Politics of Public Administration, ed. A. Ladner and F. Sager. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 380–392
PDF
2021
The Bureaucratic Perils of Presidentialism: Political Impediments to Good Governance in Latin America
Korean Journal of Policy Studies, 36(4): 1–14
PDF
2021
Ecuador's Return to the Past
With Francisco Sánchez. Journal of Democracy, 32(3): 5–18
PDF
2021
Student Attitudes towards Campus Diversity at the United States Naval Academy: Evidence from Conjoint Survey Experiments
With John M. Carey and Yusaku Horiuchi. Armed Forces & Society, 47(2): 386–409
Replication data
PDF
2021
Venezuela: The Erosion of Security CapacityChapter
In Security and Democracy in Latin America, ed. G. Marcella, O. Pérez, and B. Fonseca. Abingdon: Routledge, 157–174
PDF
2021
Two Nations, One Revolution: The Evolution of Contemporary Cuba-Venezuela RelationsChapter
With Brian Fonseca. In Venezuela's Authoritarian Allies: The Ties that Bind, ed. C. Arnson. Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson Center, 102–121
2020
Party, Candidate, and Voter Incentives under Free List Proportional Representation
With Thomas J. Mustillo. Journal of Theoretical Politics, 32(1): 143–167
2020
Reshaping the State: The Unitary Executive Presidency of Rafael CorreaChapter
In Assessing the Left Turn in Ecuador, ed. F. Sánchez and S. Pachano. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 15–39
PDF
2020
Two Nations, One Revolution: The Evolution of Contemporary Cuba-Venezuela RelationsPolicy paper
With Brian Fonseca. Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington, DC
2019
Bureaucracy and the Failure of Politics: Challenges to Democratic Governance
Kenneth J. Meier, Mallory Compton, J. Polga-Hecimovich, Miyeon Song, and Cameron Wimpy. Administration & Society, 51(10): 1576–1605
2019
La presidencia del ejecutivo unitario de Rafael Correa
Revista Latinoamericana de Política Comparada, 15: 99–122
PDF
2019
Bureaucratic Politicization, Partisan Attachments, and the Limits of Public Agency Legitimacy: The Venezuelan Armed Forces under Chavismo
Latin American Research Review, 54(2): 476–498
Data Code Appendix
PDF
2019
The Tools of Institutional Change under Post-Neoliberalism: Rafael Correa's Ecuador
Francisco Sánchez and J. Polga-Hecimovich. Journal of Latin American Studies, 51(2): 379–408
2019
Ideologia versus capacidade: Dilma Rousseff, as Forças Armadas, e o Programa de Aceleração do CrescimentoChapter
In Instituições, comportamento político e democracia, ed. L. Santana. Maceió: Editora da Universidade Federal de Alagoas (EDUFAL), 33–60
PDF
2019
The Rise of Organized Crime in Venezuela under ChavismoChapter
In The Criminalization of States: The Relationship between States and Organized Crime, ed. J. Rosen, B. Bagley, and J. Chabat. Lanham: Lexington Books, 189–207
PDF
2019
Bureaucracy in Latin AmericaChapter
In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics, ed. G. Prevost. Oxford: Oxford University Press
PDF
2019
Ecuadorian Military CulturePolicy paper
Florida International University, Miami
PDF
2018
Measures and Votes: Party Performance under Free List Proportional Representation with Evidence from Ecuador
With Thomas J. Mustillo. Electoral Studies, 56: 124–135
Data & appendix
2018
Presidential Candidate Selection in Comparative PerspectiveChapter
In Oxford Bibliographies in Political Science, ed. L.S. Maisel. Oxford: Oxford University Press
PDF
2018
Explaining Military Coups and Impeachments in Latin AmericaChapter
With Aníbal Pérez-Liñán. In The Military's Impact on Democratic Development: Midwives or Gravediggers of Democracy?, ed. D. Kuehn. London and New York: Routledge, 57–76
2018
Against All Odds: Unilateral Executives and Portfolio Allocation in Ecuador (1979–2015)Chapter
With Santiago Basabe-Serrano and Andrés Mejía Acosta. In Government Formation and Minister Turnover in Presidential Cabinets: Comparative Analysis in the Americas, ed. M. Camerlo and C. Martínez-Gallardo. London: Routledge, 182–206
2017
Explaining Military Coups and Impeachments in Latin America
Aníbal Pérez-Liñán and J. Polga-Hecimovich. Democratization, 24(5): 839–858
Replication data
2017
Crisis económicas y protestas sociales como explicación de las caídas presidenciales: un análisis de causalidad coyuntural múltiple aplicado al caso ecuatoriano
Santiago Basabe-Serrano and J. Polga-Hecimovich. Perfiles Latinoamericanos, 25(50): 129–153
2017
Venezuelan Overview
With Raúl Sánchez Urribarrí and Iñaki Sagarzazu. LASA Forum, 48(1): 35–38
PDF
2017
The Roots of Venezuela's Failing StatePolicy paper
Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, 10(9)
2016
The Organizational Consequences of Politics: A Research Agenda for the Study of Bureaucratic Politics in Latin America
With Alejandro Trelles. Latin American Politics and Society, 58(4): 56–79
PDF
2016
Latin America: Bureaucracy and Policy ImplementationChapter
In Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy, 3rd ed., ed. M. Dubnick and D. Bearfield. New York: Taylor & Francis
PDF
2016
Venezuelan Military CulturePolicy paper
With Brian Fonseca and Harold Trinkunas. Florida International University, Miami
2016
Barry Cannon, The Right in Latin America: Elite Power, Hegemony and the Struggle for the StateBook review
E-International Relations
2016
Rosario Queirolo, The Success of the Left in Latin America: Untainted Parties, Market Reforms, and Voting BehaviorBook review
With Peter M. Siavelis. Democratization, 23(2): 370–372
2015
Here's the Bias! A (Re-)reassessment of the Chilean Electoral System
With Peter M. Siavelis. Electoral Studies, 40: 268–279
PDF
2015
Desempeño económico y protesta ciudadana como causas de las caídas presidenciales: evidencia empírica en el caso ecuatorianoChapter
Santiago Basabe-Serrano and J. Polga-Hecimovich. In Democracia local y participación ciudadana desde una perspectiva latinoamericana, ed. M.L. Eberhardt. Buenos Aires: Universidad Nacional Arturo Jauretche, 73–102
2014
¿Hacia una superación del clivaje regional? La evolución de la nacionalización de los partidos políticos ecuatorianos
América Latina Hoy, 67: 91–118
PDF
Reprinted in Antología de la democracia ecuatoriana, 1979–2020, ed. M. Calderón. Quito: Instituto de la Democracia, 2020, 279–320. PDF
2014
Ni Chicha ni Limoná: Party Nationalization in Pre- and Post-Authoritarian Chile
Scott Morgenstern, J. Polga-Hecimovich, and Peter M. Siavelis. Party Politics, 20(5): 751–766
2014
Seven Imperatives for Improving the Measurement of Party Nationalization with Evidence from Chile
Scott Morgenstern, J. Polga-Hecimovich, and Peter M. Siavelis. Electoral Studies, 33: 186–199
2014
The 2013 Ecuadorian General Elections
Jason Eichorst and J. Polga-Hecimovich. Electoral Studies, 34: 361–365
2013
Tall, Grande, or Venti, but not Short: Comparing Presidential Powers in the U.S. and Latin America
Scott Morgenstern, J. Polga-Hecimovich, and Sarah Shair-Rosenfield. Journal of Politics in Latin America, 5(2): 37–70
2013
Ecuador: Estabilidad institucional y la consolidación de poder de Rafael Correa
Revista de Ciencia Política, 33(1): 135–160
PDF
2013
Legislative Coalitions and Judicial Turnover under Political Uncertainty: The Case of Ecuador
Santiago Basabe-Serrano and J. Polga-Hecimovich. Political Research Quarterly, 66(1): 153–166
2013
Santiago Basabe Serrano, Jueces sin toga: políticas judiciales y toma de decisiones en el Tribunal Constitucional del Ecuador (1999–2007)Book review
Revista de Ciencia Política, 33(3): 729–733
PDF
2011
Coalition Erosion and Presidential Instability in Ecuador
Andrés Mejía Acosta and J. Polga-Hecimovich. Latin American Politics and Society, 53(2): 87–111
Spanish translation: “Soluciones parlamentarias a las crisis presidenciales en Ecuador,” Revista Latinoamericana de Política Comparada 4(1): 49–73, 2011.
2010
Políticos, militares y ciudadanos: un análisis de las caídas presidenciales en Ecuador (1997–2005)Book
Quito: Corporación Editora Nacional–Abya Yala
PDF
2010
Parliamentary Solutions to Presidential CrisesChapter
With Andrés Mejía Acosta. In Presidential Breakdowns in Latin America: Causes and Outcomes of Executive Instability in Developing Democracies, ed. M. Llanos and L. Marsteintredet. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 73–90
Spanish translation: “Soluciones parlamentarias a las crisis presidenciales,” in Algo más que presidentes: el papel del poder legislativo en América Latina, ed. M. Alcántara and M. García Montero. Zaragoza: Fundación Manuel Giménez Abad, 2011, 479–505.
2010
John M. Carey, Legislative Voting and AccountabilityBook review
Política y Gobierno, 17(2): 396–399
PDF
2008
The Primary Election 'Bonus' in Latin AmericaChapter
With John M. Carey. In Designing Democratic Government: Making Institutions Work, ed. M. Levi, J. Johnson, J. Knight, and S. Stokes. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 227–247
2006
Primary Elections and Candidate Strength in Latin America
John M. Carey and J. Polga-Hecimovich. Journal of Politics, 68(3): 530–543

Work in progress

Books

Ring-Around-the-Red-Tape: Powerful Presidents and Weak Bureaucracies in Latin America
Latin American Politics and Development, 11th edition
With Christine Wade (eds.), Routledge