Prior to attending the session at Quintana’s I did not know much about the history of Chile and the political environment within the country. Alex and Ricardo’s sharing of personal and family experiences shed a new light on the dynamics of Chile, making sense of the “major transition” Chile is experiencing as stated by many articles posted about Chile and its progression into a South American business hub, and all the incentives the country is willing to provide for outsiders to come in and invest.
Since 1990 and the end of the Pinochet regime, a February 2015 article from the Council on Hemispheric Affairs titled, “Is Chile Finally Completing Its Transformation to Democracy” suggests the country has had a difficult time appeasing the Chilean working class and popular sectors, leading to a struggle for transition on tax reform, in addition to electoral, educational and constitutional reform. Further, several political regimes prior to the present but following 1990, have failed to effectively reform the conservative Constitution that was in place during Pinochet’s regime, thus leading to a failure in reducing poverty and inequality in Chile. Chile is reported to be “one of the most unequal countries of Latin America, even if one of the richest… several shadows of Pinochet’s era remain, such as the elitist, exclusive, and expensive private education system, severe inequality, and restriction of women’s rights”. Chile is hopeful with the Bachelet Administration and the several bold initiatives put in place in 2014 and 2015 including a tax reform, an electoral bill reform and a gender-emphasized agenda.
While in Chile, it will be interesting to see the evolving political environment and the impact it has on the Chilean economy and business sector. Hearing the personal stories from Alex and Ricardo has added another layer onto why it is important to not only study the business sector itself while in Chile, but also the political and cultural differences in the country that had led to its current success, or what will be done for the country to improve.
Source:
http://www.coha.org/is-chile-finally-completing-its-transition-to-democracy/
Since 1990 and the end of the Pinochet regime, a February 2015 article from the Council on Hemispheric Affairs titled, “Is Chile Finally Completing Its Transformation to Democracy” suggests the country has had a difficult time appeasing the Chilean working class and popular sectors, leading to a struggle for transition on tax reform, in addition to electoral, educational and constitutional reform. Further, several political regimes prior to the present but following 1990, have failed to effectively reform the conservative Constitution that was in place during Pinochet’s regime, thus leading to a failure in reducing poverty and inequality in Chile. Chile is reported to be “one of the most unequal countries of Latin America, even if one of the richest… several shadows of Pinochet’s era remain, such as the elitist, exclusive, and expensive private education system, severe inequality, and restriction of women’s rights”. Chile is hopeful with the Bachelet Administration and the several bold initiatives put in place in 2014 and 2015 including a tax reform, an electoral bill reform and a gender-emphasized agenda.
While in Chile, it will be interesting to see the evolving political environment and the impact it has on the Chilean economy and business sector. Hearing the personal stories from Alex and Ricardo has added another layer onto why it is important to not only study the business sector itself while in Chile, but also the political and cultural differences in the country that had led to its current success, or what will be done for the country to improve.
Source:
http://www.coha.org/is-chile-finally-completing-its-transition-to-democracy/