El gobierno entre las decisiones correctas y decisiones populares frente al gasolinazo del 2010. Una investigación documental

Abstract

This research analyzes the tension between the Correct Decision (DC) and the Popular Decision (DP) in economic governance. The study introduces this dual conceptual framework, based on Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialist philosophy, arguing that the DP constitutes an act of political "bad faith." The illustrative case study is Bolivia’s 2010 "Gasolinazo." The government attempted a DC (subsidy elimination) to curb fiscal drain and smuggling, but massive social pressure forced an immediate reversal to the DP (subsidy restoration). It is concluded that by choosing the DP, the leadership relinquished its technical responsibility for political expediency, mortgaging the country’s economic future. The current crisis of foreign currency and fuel shortages observed in 2024 and 2025 is the direct consequence of the 2010 act of "bad faith." Authentic democracy requires the government to assume the correct decisions, even if unpopular, to ensure national sustainability.