Political Effects of the Reduction of Fuel Subsidies in Venezuela between 1989 and 2014: An Approach from the Analysis of Easton’s Political Systems

Abstract

This article aims to identify the political effects of reducing fuel subsidies in Venezuela between the years 1989 and 2014, under the premise that those subsidies have not been rescaled. To achieve this, the methodology includes a bibliographical review and the use of hermeneutics to understand David Easton’s hypothesis, which allowed us to conclude that political stability in Venezuela depends on the relation between the needs of the environment and the decisions made by the authorities. These needs exerted a constant pressure that caused the authorities not to sacrifice current subsidies for future benefits that would result from increasing the price of gasoline.