1 / 20

COUNTRY BRIEF: CHILE

COUNTRY BRIEF: CHILE. CHILE: BASIC STATS. Population 16.9 million GNP/capita 8,350 USD Poverty rate 13.7 %. STRATEGIES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. The Liberal Era (1880s-1920s) Import-Substitution Industrialization (1930s-1970s) The Socialist Alternative (1950s-1980s)

hodge
Download Presentation

COUNTRY BRIEF: CHILE

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. COUNTRY BRIEF: CHILE

  2. CHILE: BASIC STATS • Population 16.9 million • GNP/capita 8,350 USD • Poverty rate 13.7 %

  3. STRATEGIES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT • The Liberal Era (1880s-1920s) • Import-Substitution Industrialization (1930s-1970s) • The Socialist Alternative (1950s-1980s) • Neoliberalism (1980s-present) • The “new Left” • ALBA

  4. CHILE: OVERVIEW • Natural Resource: Minerals • Nitrates • Copper • Sparse migration • Export-Import Growth • Pacific Coast connections • Copper as key • Political democracy (of sorts) • Democracy and Military Rule • Party politics (1940s-70s) • Socialism via democracy? Salvador Allende (1970-73) • The Pinochet regime (1973-1989) • Neoliberal Politics and Policy • Democracy (1990-present) • Economic uncertainty + reliance on exports (again)

  5. KEY QUESTIONS • 1. Why such a brutal (and durable) dictatorship under Pinochet? • 2. Why such a vibrant democracy now?

  6. MILITARY RULE • Perception of threat: • Tradition of labor mobilization • Links to political parties • Left = socialist, communist • Center = Christian Democracy • Right = National Party (PN) • Cold War mentality, doctrines of “national security” • Support from the United States

  7. The Dictatorial Solution • Military as bulwark of patriotism • Weakness of conservative institutions • Need to purge subversive elements • Reconstruction of society (and economy) • Pinochet in command • Constitution of 1980 • The Stunning Plebiscite (1988) • Victory of “No” (55-43 percent) • Bargaining and guarantees • Protections for the “right”

  8. DEMOCRACY RESTORED • Human rights: • “Truth and Reconciliation” commission • 1998 arrest of Pinochet • Economics: • A “gift of the dictator” • Consensus on free-market policies • Politics: • Restoration of “golden age” • Formation of Concertación (center-left)

  9. INSTITUTIONAL FEATURES • Executive • MRO • Four-year terms (renewable after one interim term) • Legislative • Bicameral structure (Chamber of Deputies = 120 members, Senate = 38) • Voting rules to help the right (“binomial system”) • Located in Valparaíso • Weak resources, but increasing authority • Judiciary • 20 justices on Supreme Court, tenure for life • Court creates list of 5, President selects one, two-thirds Senate confirms

  10. QUALITIES OF CHILEAN DEMOCRACY • One of only three countries to receive perfect scores from Freedom House (along with Costa Rica and Uruguay) • Top ranking on corruption from Transparency International (#22 in world) • Top ranking on rule of law according to World Bank (+1.25, range +- 2.50)

  11. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTS Center-Left alliance: Concertación • Patricio Aylwin (1990-94) • Eduardo Frei (1994-2000) • Ricardo Lagos (2000-06) • Michelle Bachelet (2006-10) Right: • Sebastián Piñera (2010- )

  12. THE WASHINGTON CONSENSUS • Reducing the role of the state: • Less regulation • Less public ownership • Liberalizing trade: • Reducing tariffs and quotas = less protection • Seeking commercial partners • Promoting private enterprise: • Privatization • Foreign investment

  13. POLICIES IN CHILE • Trade liberalization • Unilateral + • FTAs • Diversification of destinations • Privatization • Stability (low inflation) • Foreign investment • Poverty and inequality

  14. EXPORTS • Products: copper, fruits and nuts, fish and seafood, wood (and wine) • Partners (2009): • China 16.5 % • USA 11.3 • Japan 9.1 • South Korea 6.5 • Brazil 4.6 • Mexico 4.1

  15. INEQUALITY • Mexico .461 • Argentina .513 • Chile .549 • Brazil .570 • USA .408

  16. Thus is born a “poster child”…

More Related