I visited Venezuela in August and while I'm not going to say that "I know for a fact...," it does seem that some aspects of the theory are getting to the people working to design the system. On top of attempts at workplace democracy that get mentioned quite a bit and I definitely feel don't go much (if at all) farther than previous workplace democracy experiments. They are based on representation in the boardroom or meeting room of the workplace. Where it's happening more definitely in a ParEcon direction is the govt. support of cooperatives. Either donating rights to unused capital, factories that have stopped being used and have been seized for non-payment of taxes, or direct loans. There are also govt. purchasing orders that prefer cooperatives and companies that have the other form of worker representation. On the consumer side, every neighborhood that wants one has access to a series of social services that they must be at least active in receiving but often help in supplying them. For instance, to get the Cuban doctors to come to the neighborhood they must build a structure for them (they have these predesigned octagonal or hexagonal brick structures that just need labor added) and offer to help house and feed them, at least initially. Other programs are more "interactive." Mission Mercado (I think that's the name) is at or below market rate coop that supplies basic food items (flour, rice, etc.). The govt. supplies the food (purchased as possible from Venezuelan farm coops) and the price supports but people from the neighborhood must work at the mission. There is another Mission that is supplies hot food to 250 people in the neighborhood daily (aty least 6 days a week). The people in the neighborhood have a say in who needs and receives the meals and there are requirments that some of those meals ahve to be given to homeless. Volunteers open their homes as the place where these meals are made and distributed. The govt. provides training (in hygiene, nutrition, and large scale cooking), the meals are designed by nutritionists and ingredients are supplied and the house is outfitted for large scale cooking. Most of the missions are volunteer run. On top of the fact that they are mainly volunteer based organizations, which I feel makes them a step in the right direction, there is neighborhood oversite of the govt. funds that come to the neighborhoods. These oversite boards are called tables, I believe. I only heard mention of them on a couple occasions and don't know how they work exactly. Unfortunately, I'm not sure there are many attempts to create balanced job complexes, which I feel is the main defining feature of ParEcon from previously tried non-capitalist systems. There are also some neighborhoods, called liberated zones, that are armed and keep the police out but still receive help from the other supports the govt. offers if they want them. It also seemed to me that there was quite a bit of sentiment that they need to make sure it does not become about Chavez but about participation in the revolutionary processes. I did ask Robin what he thought of the developments in VE and he was happy with them as far as he knew. He did mention an economist from the U.S. that has been advising the govt. but I forgot his name.