DOCSLIB.ORG

Ecuador's Trade and Investment Relationship with China Under The

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ecuador's Trade and Investment Relationship with China Under The Ecuador’s Trade and Investment Relationship with China Under the Correa Administration A thesis presented to the faculty of the Center for International Studies of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts Christian S. Rodas Saá August 2018 © 2018 Christian S. Rodas Saá. All Rights Reserved. 2 This thesis titled Ecuador’s Trade and Investment Relationship with China Under the Correa Administration by CHRISTIAN S. RODAS SAÁ has been approved for the Center for International Studies by Yeong-Hyun Kim Associate Professor of Geography Arthur Hughes Director, Latin American Studies Lorna Jean Edmonds Vice Provost for Global Affairs 3 ABSTRACT RODAS SAÁ, CHRISTIAN S., M.A., August 2018, Latin American Studies Ecuador’s Trade and Investment Relationship with China Under the Correa Administration Director of Thesis: Yeong-Hyun Kim Globalization increases the integration of economies around the world. Historically, this interdependence has been dominated by Western economies, but emerging economies such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) now compete with the United States and Western European countries for the dominance of the global economy. This thesis analyzes the rising bilateral relationship between Ecuador and China under the Correa administration, in terms of international trade, foreign direct investment (FDI), and financial loans. The research was conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Official documentary records, bilateral agreements, national and international newspapers, and government speeches were analyzed. In addition, statistics about trade and investment patterns were calculated from data provided by international trade and investment databases. Further, personal interviews with government officials and businessmen were conducted in Quito to identify the major concerns raised about China’s growing presence in Ecuador’s economy. The findings show that Ecuador’s asymmetric trade relation with China, based on Ecuadorian imports from China, is disadvantageous for Ecuador. Also, Chinese funding is provided on the condition that the project funded contributes to satisfying China’s needs and Chinese workers are employed. Similarly, Chinese financing to Ecuador is linked to vague oil pre- 4 sale contracts, which trigger opportunities for irregularities. The major finding of this work is that China has taken from Ecuador but does not reciprocate; this is an unsustainable relationship that will ultimately end badly for Ecuador. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3 List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... 7 List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 9 Research Methods ....................................................................................................... 14 Public Archives: Official Documents and Newspapers ........................................ 14 Statistics: Trade, Investment, and Financial Loans .............................................. 16 Personal Interviews: Quito, Ecuador 2017 ........................................................... 17 Limitations ............................................................................................................ 21 Chapter 2: Ecuador in the Global Economy ..................................................................... 23 Historical Background ................................................................................................ 23 Importance of Oil in the Ecuadorian Economy .......................................................... 27 Main Trading Partners ................................................................................................ 30 Foreign Direct Investment in Ecuador ........................................................................ 33 Ecuador’s Public External Debt .................................................................................. 37 Chapter 3: China’s Trade with and Investment in Developing Countries ........................ 43 Historical Background ................................................................................................ 43 China’s Role in South-South Cooperation .................................................................. 44 China in Africa ............................................................................................................ 46 China in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) ..................................................... 49 China’s Trade with LAC ....................................................................................... 51 China’s Foreign Direct Investment in LAC .......................................................... 54 China’s Financial Loans to LAC .......................................................................... 56 Chapter 4: Ecuador’s Strengthening Trade and Investment Ties to China ....................... 60 Political and Economic Background ........................................................................... 60 Ecuador’s Growing Relationship with China ............................................................. 62 Ecuador’s Bilateral Agreements with China......................................................... 62 Ecuador’s Trade with China ................................................................................. 72 Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in Ecuador .................................................... 75 Chapter 5: China’s Oil-for-Loan Investments in Ecuador ................................................ 80 6 Ecuador’s Growing Indebtedness to China................................................................. 80 Ecuador’s Oil-for-Loan Deals with China .................................................................. 83 Chinese Financial Loans for the Construction of Hydroelectric Dams ...................... 86 Other Infrastructure Projects Funded by Chinese Loans ............................................ 91 Perspectives on China’s Role as the Largest Creditor of Ecuador ............................. 92 Financial Loans ..................................................................................................... 93 Oil-for-Loan Contracts.......................................................................................... 95 Infrastructure Projects ........................................................................................... 96 A New Course in Ecuador’s Bilateral Relations with China? .................................. 100 Chapter 6: Conclusions ................................................................................................... 102 References ....................................................................................................................... 107 7 LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Organizations Interviewed ................................................................................. 18 Table 2. List of Interview Questions................................................................................ 20 Table 3. Share of Oil Exports in Total Exports of Ecuador. ............................................ 29 Table 4. Inflows of Foreign Direct Investment in Ecuador, by sector (2002-2016) ........ 36 Table 5. Ecuador’s Public Debt (2007-2016) .................................................................. 40 Table 6. Principal Bilateral Agreements between Ecuador and China (2007-2015) ....... 64 Table 7. Ecuador's Imports from China. Principal Items (2009-2016) ............................ 74 Table 8. Ecuador's Exports to China. Principal Items (2009-2016) ................................ 74 Table 9. Chinese FDI in Ecuador, by sector (2002-2016) ............................................... 77 Table 10. China’s financial loans to Ecuador (2010-2016) ............................................. 82 Table 11. Ecuador’s Oil-for-Loan Deals with China ....................................................... 84 8 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. GNI per capita vs oil prices. .............................................................................. 28 Figure 2. Ecuador’s main trading partners for exports. .................................................... 31 Figure 3. Ecuador’s main trading partners for imports. .................................................... 32 Figure 4. Major source countries of FDI in Ecuador (2002-2016). .................................. 35 Figure 5. Ecuador's public external debt as percentage of GNI (2016). ........................... 38 Figure 6. Financial loans - bilateral debt, countries. ......................................................... 42 Figure 7. China’s exports to and imports from LAC (1992-2016) ................................... 51 Figure 8. China's exports to and imports from LAC by country (2016). .......................... 53 Figure 9. China’s foreign direct investment in LAC, by country (2012) ......................... 55 Figure 10. China's financial loans to LAC, by sector (2007-2016) .................................. 57 Figure 11. China’s financial loans to Latin American countries (2007-2016) ................. 58 Figure 12.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Chinese Influence on Urban Africa Xuan Liu, Benoit Lefèvre (IDDRI)
    STUDY N°06/12 NOVEMBRER 2012 | URBAN FABRIC Chinese influence on urban Africa Xuan Liu, Benoit Lefèvre (IDDRI) CHINESE INFLUENCE ON URBAN AFRICA EVOLVES TOWARDS INTEGRATED LOCAL DEVELOPMENT Based on economic complementarities acknowledged by both parties, and in line with its “Going Out” strategy, China’s influence on African urbanisation has evolved since 1990 from mainly infrastructure projects to projects that increasingly involve integrated local development. Such a shift can be attested by the establishment of six official Chinese Special Economic Zones in Africa, based upon a three-pillar structure: Chinese state-owned enterprises, local governments, and the China-Africa Devel- opment Fund. China’s influence on urbanisation in Africa not only builds on exporting surplus and production capacity, but also on development thinking and local development models. CHINESE URBANISATION IS MOVING TOWARDS AN “URBAN MANAGEMENT” MODEL According to the 12th Five-Year Plan, sustainable urbanisation is the cen- tral driver of Chinese economic development. Beijing is exploring a new urbanisation model, coined as “urban management”: the China Develop- ment Bank Capital is its main operator, connecting global providers and solutions with local governments and infrastructures. Within this frame- work, over 30 Chinese Special Urbanisation Zones projects have been implemented in China. This evolution at the national level in its turn influences Chinese urban export strategies. CHINA AS AFRICA’S FUTURE URBAN MANAGEMENT OPERATOR? Strong similarities can
    [Show full text]
  • Neoliberalism and Elite Democracy in Ecuador (1981-2007)
    Review of European Studies; Vol. 9, No. 3; 2017 ISSN 1918-7173 E-ISSN 1918-7181 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education Neoliberalism and Elite Democracy in Ecuador (1981-2007) Ricardo Restrepo Echavarría1 1 Universidad Nacional de Educación, Azogues, Ecuador Correspondence: Ricardo Restrepo Echavarría, Universidad Nacional de Educación, Azogues, Ecuador. E-mail: [email protected] Received: June 13, 2017 Accepted: June 27, 2017 Online Published: August 2, 2017 doi:10.5539/res.v9n3p126 URL: http://doi.org/10.5539/res.v9n3p126 Abstract This paper synthesizes the political economy of neoliberal elite democracy as a general trend and marks out its concrete historical manifestation in one of its more committed followers, Ecuador, from 1981 to 2007. As the American continent turned toward democracy, it also turned to neoliberal reforms. The neoliberal reforms espoused were performed under the theory of the primacy of personal security and property rights, the securement of which would lead to economic growth, leading to the benefit of society as a whole. The actual policies implemented, however, violated the personal security and property rights of many, while increasing inequality and promoting slow growth. A democracy that rules by formal elections to accumulate capital in elites without regard to truth and justice is an elite democracy. Elite democracy was the chosen politics of neoliberalism and neoliberalism was the chosen economics of elite democracy. This paper provides a synthetic panoramic view of the history of the rise and life of neoliberalism and elite democracy in Ecuador, starting with the death of Ecuador’s first president of its current democratic era, continuing with the measures that lead to the steep accumulation of public debt for the gain of a few in the 1980’s, and the deregulation of the banking sector and transfer of its losses to the public in the 1990’s and the beginning of the Century, while growth lagged but inequality and political instability accentuated.
    [Show full text]
  • List of Certain Foreign Institutions Classified As Official for Purposes of Reporting on the Treasury International Capital (TIC) Forms
    NOT FOR PUBLICATION DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY JANUARY 2001 Revised Aug. 2002, May 2004, May 2005, May/July 2006, June 2007 List of Certain Foreign Institutions classified as Official for Purposes of Reporting on the Treasury International Capital (TIC) Forms The attached list of foreign institutions, which conform to the definition of foreign official institutions on the Treasury International Capital (TIC) Forms, supersedes all previous lists. The definition of foreign official institutions is: "FOREIGN OFFICIAL INSTITUTIONS (FOI) include the following: 1. Treasuries, including ministries of finance, or corresponding departments of national governments; central banks, including all departments thereof; stabilization funds, including official exchange control offices or other government exchange authorities; and diplomatic and consular establishments and other departments and agencies of national governments. 2. International and regional organizations. 3. Banks, corporations, or other agencies (including development banks and other institutions that are majority-owned by central governments) that are fiscal agents of national governments and perform activities similar to those of a treasury, central bank, stabilization fund, or exchange control authority." Although the attached list includes the major foreign official institutions which have come to the attention of the Federal Reserve Banks and the Department of the Treasury, it does not purport to be exhaustive. Whenever a question arises whether or not an institution should, in accordance with the instructions on the TIC forms, be classified as official, the Federal Reserve Bank with which you file reports should be consulted. It should be noted that the list does not in every case include all alternative names applying to the same institution.
    [Show full text]
  • Central Bank of Ecuador, 1927: Among Dictatorship, Revolution and Crisis
    Volume 2, Number 1, 128-173, January-June 2017 doi: 10.1344/jesb2017.1.j025 Cristian Paúl Naranjo Navas Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo (Ecuador) Central Bank of Ecuador, 1927: among Dictatorship, Revolution and Crisis Abstract On July 9th, 1925, a coup d’état overthrew the Ecuadorian government of the president Gonzalo S. Córdova. The Military Junta chose the new president, Dr. Isidro Ayora, who founded the Central Bank of Ecuador in 1927. The majority of historians emphasize the patriotic spirit of the military forces in order to eliminate the influence of private banks. Nonetheless, there is a less popular view of the process known as the Julian Revolution, which understands the coup d’état, and the foundation of the Central Bank of Ecuador, as the result of struggles between bankers due to controversies around currency emissions. The arguments behind the Julian Revolution were based on some economic facts. Even though real GDP did not decrease in any year from 1913 to 1927, there was a generalized perception of a critical economy due to the constant fluctuation in prices, the increasing of fiscal deficit, and the reduction of revenues from the trade balance. This article proposes two hypotheses: first, the economic crisis was not an isolated case in Latin America, on the contrary, it was part of a regional trend; second, the economic crisis only affected the urban areas, which account for less than half of the total population. Keywords: Central Bank of Ecuador; Julian Revolution; Dictatorship Corresponding author: e-mail:[email protected] Received 18 October 2016 - Accepted 13 January 2017 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-comercial re-use and distribution, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered or transformed in any way.
    [Show full text]
  • Tax Relief Country: Italy Security: Intesa Sanpaolo S.P.A
    Important Notice The Depository Trust Company B #: 15497-21 Date: August 24, 2021 To: All Participants Category: Tax Relief, Distributions From: International Services Attention: Operations, Reorg & Dividend Managers, Partners & Cashiers Tax Relief Country: Italy Security: Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. CUSIPs: 46115HAU1 Subject: Record Date: 9/2/2021 Payable Date: 9/17/2021 CA Web Instruction Deadline: 9/16/2021 8:00 PM (E.T.) Participants can use DTC’s Corporate Actions Web (CA Web) service to certify all or a portion of their position entitled to the applicable withholding tax rate. Participants are urged to consult TaxInfo before certifying their instructions over CA Web. Important: Prior to certifying tax withholding instructions, participants are urged to read, understand and comply with the information in the Legal Conditions category found on TaxInfo over the CA Web. ***Please read this Important Notice fully to ensure that the self-certification document is sent to the agent by the indicated deadline*** Questions regarding this Important Notice may be directed to Acupay at +1 212-422-1222. Important Legal Information: The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) does not represent or warrant the accuracy, adequacy, timeliness, completeness or fitness for any particular purpose of the information contained in this communication, which is based in part on information obtained from third parties and not independently verified by DTC and which is provided as is. The information contained in this communication is not intended to be a substitute for obtaining tax advice from an appropriate professional advisor. In providing this communication, DTC shall not be liable for (1) any loss resulting directly or indirectly from mistakes, errors, omissions, interruptions, delays or defects in such communication, unless caused directly by gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of DTC, and (2) any special, consequential, exemplary, incidental or punitive damages.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecuador: Justice and Protection for Amazonian Women, Defenders Of
    “THEY WILL NOT STOP US” Ecuador: Justice and protection for Amazonian Women, defenders of the land, territory and environment Amnesty International it’s a global movement of more than 7 million people working for respect and protection of human rights. Our vision is of a world in which all people enjoy the human rights set out in the las personas disfrutan de todos los derechos humanos Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international standards. We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religious belief. Our work is funded primarily by contributions from our members and through donations. © Amnesty International 2019 Unless stated otherwise, the content of this document is protected by Creative Commons licence 4.0 (attribution, non-commercial, no derivative works, international). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode For more information, visit the Permissions page of our website: https://www.amnesty.org/es/about-us/permissions/. Material attributed to copyright holders other than Amnesty International is not subject to the Creative Commons licence. 2 THEY WILL NOT STOP US ECUADOR: JUSTICE AND PROTECTION FOR AMAZONIAN WOMEN, DEFENDERS OF THE LAND, TERRITORY AND ENVIRONMENT “THEY WILL NOT STOP US” ECUADOR: JUSTICE AND PROTECTION FOR AMAZONIAN WOMEN, DEFENDERS OF THE LAND, TERRITORY AND ENVIRONMENT AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL 3 INTRODUCTION Throughout 2018 in Ecuador, Amnesty International recorded a series of attacks and threats perpetrated against women human rights defenders and leaders Patricia Gualinga, Nema Grefa, Salomé Aranda and Margoth Escobar, members of Mujeres Amazónicas Defensoras de la Selva de las Bases frente al Extractivismo (Amazonian Women Defending the Forest from Extractivism), also known as the Mujeres Amazónicas (Amazonian Women) collective.
    [Show full text]
  • Debtbook Diplomacy China’S Strategic Leveraging of Its Newfound Economic Influence and the Consequences for U.S
    POLICY ANALYSIS EXERCISE Debtbook Diplomacy China’s Strategic Leveraging of its Newfound Economic Influence and the Consequences for U.S. Foreign Policy Sam Parker Master in Public Policy Candidate, Harvard Kennedy School Gabrielle Chefitz Master in Public Policy Candidate, Harvard Kennedy School PAPER MAY 2018 Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Harvard Kennedy School 79 JFK Street Cambridge, MA 02138 www.belfercenter.org Statements and views expressed in this report are solely those of the authors and do not imply endorsement by Harvard University, the Harvard Kennedy School, or the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. This paper was completed as a Harvard Kennedy School Policy Analysis Exercise, a yearlong project for second-year Master in Public Policy candidates to work with real-world clients in crafting and presenting timely policy recommendations. Design & layout by Andrew Facini Cover photo: Container ships at Yangshan port, Shanghai, March 29, 2018. (AP) Copyright 2018, President and Fellows of Harvard College Printed in the United States of America POLICY ANALYSIS EXERCISE Debtbook Diplomacy China’s Strategic Leveraging of its Newfound Economic Influence and the Consequences for U.S. Foreign Policy Sam Parker Master in Public Policy Candidate, Harvard Kennedy School Gabrielle Chefitz Master in Public Policy Candidate, Harvard Kennedy School PAPER MARCH 2018 About the Authors Sam Parker is a Master in Public Policy candidate at Harvard Kennedy School. Sam previously served as the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security. As an academic fellow at U.S. Pacific Command, he wrote a report on anticipating and countering Chinese efforts to displace U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Populist Citizenship in the Bolivarian Revolutions
    MIDDLE ATLANTIC REVIEW OF LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES, A JOURNAL OF THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC COUNCIL OF LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES Populist Citizenship in the Bolivarian Revolutions Carlos de la Torre University of Kentucky Abstract: This article analyzes the contours of populist citizenship as an alternative to neoliberal models of citizenship as consumption, and to liberal models that protect pluralism. It compares how political, socioeconomic, civil, collective, gender, and GLBT rights were imagined and implemented in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador. It explains why despite the expansion of some rights, populists’ use of discriminatory legalism to regulate the public sphere and civil society led to the displacement of democracy toward authoritarianism. Key words: citizenship, populism, rights, democratization, authoritarianism. Populism is a form of political incorporation to the political community based on rhetorical appeals to and the mobilization of the people (de la Torre 2000). Populists use a Manichaean rhetoric that confronted the people against the oligarchy understood as self-serving and foreign-oriented elites that marginalized the plebs from political, socioeconomic, and symbolic resources and benefits. Populist challenges to the exclusion of the people, and their promises of inclusion and even redemption took place during episodes of mobilization and contentious collective action (Jansen 2015). During populist events the meanings of the term “the people” and who belonged to this category are contested. Several actors such as politicians, activists, and leaders of social movements claim to be the voice of the people. Politics becomes a struggle over who could claim to talk on behalf of the people and to represent their interests. Populism is also a model of citizenship conceived as the active participation of the people in politics (Spanakos 2008; Rein 2013).
    [Show full text]
  • Lessons from the Chevron Ecuador Litigation: the Proposed Intervenors’ Perspective
    KIMERLING_FINAL_VOL.1.2.DOCX (DO NOT DELETE) 10/14/13 6:46 PM LESSONS FROM THE CHEVRON ECUADOR LITIGATION: THE PROPOSED INTERVENORS’ PERSPECTIVE Judith Kimerling* INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 241 I. APPLICATION OF THE FORUM NON CONVENIENS DOCTRINE BY THE AGUINDA V. TEXACO COURT .............................................................................. 245 II. THE HUAORANI AND TEXACO ........................................................................... 261 III. THE LAGO AGRIO LAWSUIT AND RELATED LITIGATION ................................... 271 CONCLUSION AND LESSONS LEARNED ................................................................... 291 INTRODUCTION This symposium provides a welcome opportunity for scholars and practitioners with a wide range of perspectives to examine issues raised by the increasingly complex litigation related to Texaco’s oil extraction operations in the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador. I have worked in the affected region since 1989, and my original research was the basis for the environmental allegations in the initial class action lawsuit that launched the ongoing litigation that has come to be known as “the Chevron-Ecuador Litigation.” That lawsuit, Aguinda v. Texaco, Inc., was filed in federal court in New York in 1993, and asserted claims on behalf of Indigenous and settler residents who have been harmed by pollution from Texaco’s Ecuador operations. I was not involved in bringing either that case or the subsequent
    [Show full text]
  • Ecuador's Macroeconomic Policies, Institutional Changes, and Results
    CEPR CENTER FOR ECONOMIC AND POLICY RESEARCH Decade of Reform: Ecuador’s Macroeconomic Policies, Institutional Changes, and Results By Mark Weisbrot, Jake Johnston, and Lara Merling* February 2017 Center for Economic and Policy Research 1611 Connecticut Ave. NW tel: 202-293-5380 Suite 400 fax: 202-588-1356 Washington, DC 20009 http://cepr.net Mark Weisbrot is Co-Director at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) in Washington DC. Jake Johnston is a Research Associate, and Lara Merling is a Research Assistant at CEPR. Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 2 Indicators ....................................................................................................................................................... 2 Policy Changes and Reforms ...................................................................................................................... 3 Overview ............................................................................................................................................................. 4 Financial, Regulatory, and Institutional Reforms and the World Recession ............................................. 8 The Second Oil Price Collapse (2014), Recession, and Recovery ............................................................ 12 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Saroj Bishoyi Contributors
    December 14 – December 20, 12 (3), 2015 Editor: Saroj Bishoyi Contributors Gulbin Sultana Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives Gunjan Singh China Sampa Kundu Southeast Asia and Oceania Rajorshi Roy Russia and Central Asia Saroj Bishoyi United States of America Amit Kumar Defence Reviews Rajbala Rana Internal Security Reviews Arpita Anant UN Reviews Follow IDSA Facebook Twitter 1, Development Enclave, Rao Tula Ram Marg, New Delhi-110010 Telephone: 91-26717983; Fax: 91-11-26154191 Website: www.idsa.in; Email: [email protected] The Week in Review December 14 – December 20, 12 (3), 2015 CONTENTS In This Issue Page I. COUNTRY REVIEWS 2-25 A. South Asia 2-8 B. East Asia 8-10 C. Southeast Asia and Oceania 10-13 D. Russia 13-20 E. United States of America 20-25 II. DEFENCE REVIEWS 25-27 III. INTERNAL SECURITY REVIEWS 27-30 IV. UNITED NATIONS REVIEWS 31-32 1 The Week in Review December 14 – December 20, 12 (3), 2015 I. COUNTRY REVIEWS A. South Asia Bangladesh (December 14-20, 2015) Bangladesh to join Saudi-led anti-terror centre; India, Bangladesh begin land survey; Six wounded in blasts at mosque in Bangladesh naval base. Bangladesh has decided to join a Saudi Arabian initiative to set up “Counter-Terrorism Centre” along with other Muslim countries to fight terrorism and extremist ideology. “We have preliminarily consented to join the centre and asked for details of the proposed platform. The Saudi Government has agreed to send us further information on it,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam told The Daily Star on December 15.
    [Show full text]
  • Tracking Elections: Our Experience During the Presidential Elections in Ecuador
    Tracking Elections: our experience during the presidential elections in Ecuador Daniel Riofrio Anacaren Ruiz Erin Sosebee University of New Mexico University of New Mexico University of New Mexico Qasim Raza Adnan Bashir Jed Crandall University of New Mexico University of New Mexico University of New Mexico Abstract bots which were filtered by political motivated content. In our data analysis, we show that these bots were mainly The world’s digital transformation has influenced not used for propaganda purposes in favor or against a par- only the way we do business, but also the way we ticular candidate. perform daily activities. Social media, for instance, has clearly showed us the influence it has on people, especially during social events such as elections. In fact, 1 Introduction the past Presidential elections in the United States as well as those in Great Britain (Brexit) and in Colombia According to Freedom House, Ecuador’s Internet free- (peace agreement referendum) has stablished that social dom ranks as partially free [8]. Despite the infrastructure media play an important part in modern politics. In fact, investment that the government has made in the past the digital political field expresses in the digital world decade, the major problem the country is facing is through political movements and political candidates the control and blockage of content due to copyright looking for popular support (number of followers), infringement targeted to political activists [8]. regular citizens’ messages discussing social issues (trending topics flooding social media), or even political For the first time in a decade, Ecuador lived a propaganda in favor or against politicians or political transition in its government.
    [Show full text]