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Social Policies in Chile: an Historical Review*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2009

Extract

In many countries the government plays an important role in the provision of several basic human needs. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in these social policies. In less developed countries, the question of income redistribution and poverty alleviation strategies has led to a ‘basic needs’ approach. This strategy attempts to satisfy a minimum consumption basket of the poor through government intervention. intervention. On the other hand, in some developed countries a revision of the ‘welfare state’ conception – at least in terms of its future growth – is under way. Alleged inefficiencies, work and savings disincentives and the high tax burden it requires are among the criticisms.

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Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

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References

1 Data comparable for each country can be found in José-Pablo, Arellano, ‘Elementos para el análisis de la reforma previsional’, Colección Estudios CIEPLAN No. 6 (Santiago, 12 1981), pp. 544.Google Scholar

2 A summary and abundant references can be found in Gonzalo, Vial, Historia de Chile 1891–1973 (Vol 1, Parts 1 and 2. Santiago, Editorial Santillana 1981). This work is still in progress, and will run to several volumes.Google Scholar

3 For working conditions and the workers' movement see the works of J. Barría, ‘Los movimientos sociales de principios del siglo XX’, Tésis Instituto Pedagógico, Universidad de Chile (1956); Necochea, H. Ramírez, Historia del movimienta obrero en Chile (Santiago, Editora Austral 1956);Google ScholarMorris, J., Las elites, los intelectuales y el consenso. Estudio de la cuestión social y del sistema de relaciones industriales en Chile (Santiago, Editorial del Pacífico 1967);Google Scholar and Pizarro, C., ‘Rol de los sindicatos en Chile’, Estudios CIEPLAN No. 22, (Santiago, 1978), 03.Google Scholar

4 Another two laws of the time were the nursery law passed in 1917 compelling industrial firms with more than 50 workers to provide a room for their children under one year of age, and the law of March 1923 which fixed 80 kg as the maximum weight of the sacks to be carried by men.

5 Juan, Enrique Concha, Conferencias sobre economia social (Santiago, Imprenta Chile, 1918), in his lectures delivered in the Catholic University in 1917.Google Scholar

6 Letelier, V., ‘Los pobres’ in La ley organo del Partido Radical, 10 de enero, No. 483. Cited in Godoy, H., Estructura Social de Chile (Santiago, Univ. Católica, Edit. Universitaria, 1971).Google Scholar

7 Cited in Romero, H., ‘Hitos fundamentales de la medicina social en Chile’ in Jiménez, J. (ed.), Medicina social en Chile (Santiago, Edit. Aconcagua, 1977), p. 796.Google Scholar

8 Romero, , op. cit., p. 43.Google Scholar

9 See Vial, G., op. cit., Vol. 1, Part 1, pp. 137, 175.Google Scholar

10 Alessandri, Presidential Programme in Godoy, op. cit.

11 A valuable contribution on this period is found in Orrego, C. et al. , Siete ensayos sobre Arturo Alessandri, ICHEH (Santiago, Editorial Aconcagua, 1979).Google Scholar

12 For an analysis of the period, see Instituto de Economía, University of Chile, Desarrollo económico de Chile 1940–56 (Santiago, 1956);Google ScholarMuñoz, O., ‘Economía política de la industrialización chilena 1940–1970’, mimeo, CIEPLAN (Santiago, 1982);Google ScholarMuñoz, O. and Arriagada, A. M., ‘Orígenes políticos y económicos del Estado empresarial en Chile’, Estudios CIEPLAN No. 16 (Santiago, 1977), 09.Google Scholar

13 In 1952 a new institution (CORVI) was set up to continue the work of the earlier one and also to take over projects dispersed among other public bodies.

14 It is interesting to note that in this period of government by the Radicals – traditional supporters of public education – there is a marked increase in private schools, thanks to the improvement in subsidies (Table 6, col. 5).

15 This estimation accords with that obtained by comparing the costs of security and health benefits per worker affiliated to the Servicio de Seguro Social in 1935 and 1955.

16 For a description of the situation in 1950 see the report of the Director General de Previsión Social of that time, Bustos, J., La previsión y la medicina social en Chile en 1950 (Santiago, 1952).Google Scholar

17 On this aspect, see Ffrench-Davis, R., Políticas económicas en Chile: 1952–70 (Santiago, Ediciones Nueva Universidad, 1973), Chapter VII.Google Scholar

18 These changes help to explain the more rapid expansion of workers afiliiated to security institutions for employees.

19 In 1954 the CPI rose by 58.7%, in 1955 by 88.7% and in 1956 by 44.6%.

20 Two good references on the economic policies of the period are Ffrench-Davis, R. (1973),Google Scholarop. cit.; and Molina, S., El proceso de cambio en Chile (Santiago, Editorial Universitario, Siglo XXI, 1972).Google Scholar

21 For an analysis of the Allende period see Bitar, S., Transición, socialismo y democracia. La experiencia chilena (México, Siglo XXI, 1979);Google Scholar and De Vylder, S., Allende's Chile. The political economy of the rise and fall of the Unidad Popular (Cambridge University Press, 1974).Google Scholar The asset redistríbution process is examined in Foxley, A., Aninat, E. and Arellano, J. P., ‘Asset redistribution and poverty eradication’, World Development, vol. 5, No. 12 (1977).Google Scholar

22 In 1965 Congress rejected a project of the Executive for the equalization of family allowances. Similarly, other attempts to reform social security were unsuccessful.

23 For an analysis of the model see Foxley, A., Latin American experiments in nea-conservative economics (University of California Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles: London, 1983).Google Scholar

24 Raczynski, D., ‘Controversias sobre reformas al sector salud: Chile, 1973–1982’, Notas Técnicas No. 52, CIEPLAN (Santiago, 1982), 11, describes the controversies about the intended reforms in the health sector.Google Scholar

25 It is not our purpose to evaluate these reforms here. It will be clear, however, that since the compulsory contributions are a fixed percentage of the taxable income, this measure makes it advantageous for workers with higher incomes, fewer family dependants and fewer health risks to contract private insurance in better conditions than the public health service. This last sector thus loses financial support. See Arellano, J. P. and Sáez, R. E., ‘Reforma de la previsión y financiamiento de la salud’, Documento de Trabajo No. 248, CPU (Santiago, 1981).Google Scholar

26 The pension system reform is studied in detail in J. P. Arellano, ‘Elementos’ and the new housing policy in Arellano, J. P., ‘Políticas de vivienda popular: lecciones de la experiencia chilena’, Colección Estudios CIEPLAN 9 (Santiago, 1982), 12.Google Scholar