Jacobin Radio Behind the News: Forgotten Albania w/ Lea Ypi
Nov 10, 2025
This discussion features Gabriel Hetland, an Associate Professor of Latin American history, who delves into municipal socialism in Venezuela, highlighting participatory budgeting and community empowerment. Lea Ypi, a political theory professor, shares her insights on Albania's complex history through her grandmother’s experiences, exploring themes of archival research, ethnic identity, and the effects of nationalism. Both guests connect past struggles to present challenges, emphasizing dignity, social justice, and the lessons learned from history.
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Participatory Budgeting That Actually Matters
- Julio Chavez gave 100% of municipal investment funds to participatory councils, building real popular control rather than token projects.
- Ordinary citizens not only decided but physically built most projects, strengthening accountability and governance skills.
Staff With Organizers And Technocrats
- Offices led by long-time social movement organizers linked City Hall to grassroots, ensuring political pluralism and capacity to mobilize.
- Mixing trained technocrats with movement leaders combined competence with popular legitimacy.
Hundreds Of Communal Councils Built Locally
- Torres established roughly 600 communal councils across a 180,000 population municipality to diagnose needs and decide projects.
- These grassroots bodies met regularly and fed into the participatory budget, creating durable local governance practices.
