Domestic Challenges, Cultural Factors Driving Ecuador's Authoritarianism Acceleration

Author

Benjamin F. Berlin, Utah State University

Date of Award

5-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Departmental Honors

Department

Languages, Philosophy and Communication Studies

Abstract

Using the Cultural Topography (CTops) methodology, this paper provides insight to US policymakers into the cultural factors, combined with current domestic challenges, that are driving Ecuadorians toward authoritarianism. The CTops methodology requires practitioners to conduct primary research on a specific group, which is the population of Ecuador in this paper. To conduct this research, cultural texts and artifacts such as newspaper articles, monuments honoring national heroes, websites and blog posts, and many others were analyzed. Secondary research and an evaluation of current operational realities were also used to inform this paper. Once considered an “Island of Peace,” Ecuador is in the midst of an internal armed conflict with gangs that murder, extort, and traffic drugs. As a result, Ecuadorians have increasingly turned to authoritarian-styled leaders. Additional domestic challenges take the form of a stagnating economy and blackouts across Ecuador’s hydroelectric-dependent grid. This paper highlights that beyond current domestic challenges underlying cultural tendencies exist, referred to as Critical Cultural Factors (CCFs), that also contribute to the ongoing authoritarian drift. The cultural factors of consideration include a widely held perception of government ineffectiveness in Ecuador and a shared value of striving to make progress toward a better future. Additional cultural factors such as the shared norm of respecting people who have earned positions of power and rank as well as the cultural identity to be socially responsible offer insight into the ways which the United States may more effectively engage with Ecuador. To conclude, this paper offers potential recommendations, based on the cultural insights gained from using the CTops methodology, for US policymakers to consider moving forward.

Recommended Citation

Berlin, Benjamin F., "Domestic Challenges, Cultural Factors Driving Ecuador's Authoritarianism Acceleration" (2025). Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects. 1033.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/honors/1033