The role of youth social movements in a (re)democratization process from a civil and political rights perspective in Venezuela (1998-2026): informing the development of a comprehensive working methodology for training the next generation of Venezuelan democratic leaders

Abstract

This dissertation examines the role of Venezuelan youth social movements during the country’s process of democratic backsliding between 1998 and 2026 and their potential contribution to a future process of (re)democratization from a civil and political rights perspective. It addresses the question of how youth democratic resilience can inform the development of a methodological framework for training the next generation of democratic leaders. The study is grounded in theories of democracy, democratic backsliding, political socialization, youth political participation, and human rights, adopting a qualitative case study design that combines process tracing and document analysis. The findings demonstrate that democratic backsliding progressively weakened not only constitutional institutions but also the mechanisms through which democratic citizenship, civic culture, and democratic leadership had historically been reproduced. Nevertheless, Venezuelan youth continued to sustain democratic resilience through student movements, civil society organizations, humanitarian initiatives, community leadership, and digital activism. Building upon these findings, the dissertation proposes an original Human Rights-Based Methodological Framework for Training and Empowering the Next Generation of Venezuelan Democratic Leaders. It argues that sustainable democratic reconstruction depends not only on restoring democratic institutions but also on rebuilding the democratic human infrastructure capable of sustaining constitutional democracy across generations. Keywords: Venezuelan democratic backsliding, youth political participation, democratic leadership, (re)democratization