Chile
Políticas de desarrollo económico local en las municipalidades de chile: más allá del asistencialismo
¿En qué medida las políticas de desarrollo económico local se circunscriben en Chile a una concepción asistencialista? La hipótesis que se desarrolla en este trabajo se relaciona con que vistas en conjunto estas políticas sobrepasan ampliamente este paradigma. Para ejecutar el estudio se relevó una serie de 40 categorías de políticas mediante la lectura y sistematización de las políticas de desarrollo económico local propuestas por las municipalidades de Chile a través de 69 Planes de Desarrollo Comunal (PLADECO). En promedio las municipalidades proponen acciones en torno a 16 de las 40 categorías pero son estas en conjunto las que pueden abarcar de forma satisfactoria los diversos desafíos del desarrollo económico local que cada municipalidad enfrenta de acuerdo a la realidad productiva comunal.
Operaciones de acarreo de divisas (carry trade) y sus efectos sobre la turbulencia cambiaria en Chile
En este estudio se ofrecen datos sobre la relación entre la operación de acarreo (carry trade) en pesos chilenos y las caídas de esta moneda frente a otras. Mediante el uso de un amplio conjunto de datos que contiene información del mercado cambiario a plazo local mostramos que la especulación orientada a aprovechar los grandes diferenciales de la tasa de interés registrados en los últimos tiempos entre el peso y las monedas de los países desarrollados ha provocado varios episodios de turbulencia anormal medidos por el coeficiente de asimetría de la distribución del tipo de cambio. De conformidad con el marco interpretativo que vincula a la turbulencia con los cambios en las posiciones a plazo de los especuladores encontramos que la turbulencia es mayor en los períodos en que las mediciones de la incertidumbre mundial han sido especialmente altas.
La economía política del déficit fiscal en el Chile del siglo XIX
A mediados de la década de 1860 se observó en Chile un cambio estructural en la tendencia que muestra déficits fiscales más elevados. Para algunos autores esto obedeció al aumento del gasto derivado del rápido crecimiento de la economía. Otra explicación común es que fue necesario aumentar el gasto para financiar la guerra contra España. En este artículo se plantea como explicación alternativa que se debió principalmente a una creciente agitación política a comienzos de la segunda mitad del siglo XIX que terminó con la destitución del Presidente Balmaceda en 1891. Esta hipótesis es congruente con la idea de que la inestabilidad política tiende a llevar a un desacoplamiento entre los ingresos tributarios y los gastos dos elementos que de otra manera se mantendrían alineados tal como predice la teoría del suavizamiento de impuestos (tax smoothing). En este ensayo se presenta una descripción fáctica que apoya dicha hipótesis.
Una tipología de precariedad laboral para Chile: la precariedad como fenómeno transclasista
Este artículo presenta una propuesta de definición y medición de la precariedad laboral. Comenzamos relacionando el fenómeno de la precariedad con las transformaciones de las fisonomías del trabajo y de las clases sociales. Luego se expone una metodología que combina las técnicas del análisis de correspondencias y el clúster de k-medias para elaborar una tipología de nueve grupos de precariedad. Esto permite evidenciar la precariedad como un fenómeno multidimensional que articula aspectos ligados a la estabilidad inseguridad ingresos condiciones de trabajo y jornadas laborales. Los resultados muestran que estaríamos frente a un fenómeno que no está vinculado a una única clase o posición dentro del mercado laboral ni tampoco a una única dimensión o indicador sino más bien a un proceso multidimensional y transclasista que atraviesa fluidamente diferentes posiciones y situaciones a lo largo de la estructura ocupacional chilena.
Descomposición sectorial de la productividad total de los factores en Chile, 1996-2010
En este artículo se descompone la productividad total de los factores (PTF) por sectores económicos utilizando los datos contenidos en las matrices de insumo-producto de Chile de los años 1996 2003 y 2010. El análisis se enfoca en tres efectos: el efecto del cambio en la demanda sectorial; el efecto del cambio en la receta de producción y las transacciones intersectoriales y el efecto del cambio tecnológico sectorial. Este análisis permitió observar que los dos últimos son los principales factores que explican las variaciones de la productividad en el período considerado. En este contexto destacan los siguientes sectores: industria manufacturera; electricidad gas y agua e intermediación financiera y servicios empresariales. Estos han encabezado los cambios positivos de la productividad del país mientras que el sector de servicios personales podría estar actuando como un factor limitante de su crecimiento. En la descripción del estudio se matizan y contextualizan estas conclusiones.
Intersección entre la clase y el género y su efecto sobre la calidad del empleo en Chile
En este artículo se analiza el efecto de la intersección entre clase y género sobre la calidad del empleo en Chile. La medida de posición de clase utilizada está basada en la propuesta de Erik O. Wright y la calidad del empleo en una medida multidimensional que incluye un índice de condiciones objetivas de empleo y dos índices de condiciones subjetivas (motivación en el trabajo y percepción del control sobre el proceso de trabajo). Los resultados demuestran que la clase y el género determinan diferencias significativas en la calidad objetiva y subjetiva del empleo. Sin embargo los datos también indican que el género (particularmente el hecho de ser mujer) no actúa necesariamente como “amplificador” de las desigualdades de clase observadas en el mercado laboral. A partir de esto al final del artículo se plantean algunas reflexiones sobre cómo opera la intersección entre clase y género en el mercado laboral chileno.
Impacto del Plan Garantizado de Salud con prima comunitaria única en la demanda del seguro privado de salud en Chile
En 2012 se envió al Congreso de Chile un Plan Garantizado de Salud para el sistema privado de salud diseñado para ofrecer un plan de características estandarizadas y tarifa plana. En este trabajo se evalúa el impacto que tendría en la demanda de seguros de salud la introducción de este plan. Los resultados sugieren que la cartera del seguro privado disminuiría un 1239% lo que significa que alrededor de 400.000 personas se cambiarían al sistema público exacerbando el problema de selección adversa que enfrenta el sistema y acarreando un pasivo fiscal de 200 millones de dólares anuales.
Distributional effects of eliminating the differential tax treatment of business and personal income in Chile
This paper estimates the distributional effects that would result from eliminating the differential tax treatment of business and personal income in the Chilean tax system as well as from the elimination of the main personal income tax exemption the one for voluntary retirement savings. The results of the analysis show that while the majority of taxpayers benefitting from this exemption are in the upper income brackets its elimination would not make the income tax more progressive. As to removing the favourable tax treatment for corporate income the distributional effect is of relevant magnitude and the income tax becomes significantly more progressive. Generally speaking the results suggest that income taxation in Chile is less progressive than it appears and that it is feasible to give it a more important redistributional role in reducing income inequality.
Chile: Early retirement, impatience and risk aversion
About one third of all Chileans take early retirement. As retirement age approaches people become more aware of the health issues associated with that stage of life. This reduces their uncertainty about their future quality of life and may lead to a relative increase in impatience. This article offers a theoretical examination of how future life expectancy affects relative levels of impatience in ways that may increase the probability of early retirement. The empirical findings for Chile show that the greater people’s future life expectancy is the less likely they will be to take early retirement. The article also looks at how risk aversion increases relative impatience as a consequence of people’s uncertainty as to whether or not they will enjoy a good quality of life in the years ahead. The empirical findings point to a positive correlation between risk aversion and early retirement via the mechanism of life expectancy.
The socioeconomic cost of illicit drug consumption in Chile
This article estimates the magnitude of monetary resources which Chile loses or forgoes owing to the trafficking and consumption of illicit drugs. On the basis of a “cost-of-illness” methodology it is estimated that in 2006 drug consumption in Chile represented an economic burden of 266.744 billion pesos —or US$ 503 million in current prices that year— equivalent to 0.45% of gross domestic product (gdp) and a per capita cost of 16232 Chilean pesos or US$ 31. The bulk of this sum is related to law enforcement for drug crime or other related offences (47%) and productivity losses reflected in the burden of disability-adjusted life years (46%).
Chile’s new middle classes: A cohort analysis
A cohort analysis methodology is used in this article to study Chile’s “new” middle classes. It describes the members of these cohorts and compares them with older cohorts that are still economically active. The relative size as of the 1990s and 2000s of these occupationally determined middle classes or strata are analysed and a distinction is drawn between “new” and “old” cohorts. The question as to whether or not the emergence of new occupational cohorts correlates with differences in income is also explored. This analysis leads to the conclusion that a new middle class has taken shape that is composed of people who became full-fledged members of the labour force during the economic growth surge of the 1990s and 2000s. The upper stratum of these new middle classes occupies a preeminent position and social class influences income levels.
Chile: Port congestion and efficient rationing in cargo transfer operations
The evolution of opportunities for children in Chile, 1990–2006
In this paper we measure the evolution of inequality of opportunity in Chile. These measures assess how unequal the distribution of socioeconomic outcomes is based on exogenous circumstances. The results show a reduction in inequality of opportunity from 1990 to 2006. The gains are of two classes. First social service coverage has increased substantially leading to a general improvement in opportunities. Second the gaps in access probabilities among population subgroups have been reduced making the playing field more balanced. These results should be interpreted as partial evidence for the evolution of opportunities in Chile. We also found a significant gap in the opportunity index across Chile which reflects differences in both coverage rates and the distribution of opportunities within regions. The reduction in inequality is good news but Chile still has a long way to go to achieve an equitable distribution of welfare.
Chile: is the fee for non-use of water rights effective?
This paper examines whether the fees for non-use of water rights implemented in Chile in 2005 have provided an incentive for the exploitation of unused water. Two comparisons are made and descriptively analysed: between fees charged and paid and between fees and the market price of water rights. In the successive fee charging rounds payment levels increased from 67% of the total charged in 2007 to 81.4% in 2009. It was also found that several years of fee payment would be required to match the market price of water rights. The conclusion is that the fee has not been effective in discouraging non-use since owners tend to pay it rather than forfeit rights whose market price exceeds the fee. Some improvements to the legal design of the instrument are also suggested.
Social coordination through public policies: The Chilean case
Social complexity involves inter-relationships between various actors and systems that enjoy considerable autonomy to define their own interests and operating procedures. This provides a backdrop for the development of models of social coordination that combine autonomous actors and systems pursuing coherent objectives. Drawing on examples from Chile this article reviews: (i) policy-network models (public works concession system); (ii) deliberation systems (presidential advisory commissions); and (iii) reflexive law systems (international trade arbitration). It is found that the high level of reflexiveness of these models makes it possible albeit with limitations to combine principles of autonomy and coherence in the implementation of public policies.
The quality gap in Chile’s education system
The quality gap in education between Chilean schools with different administrative structures (especially in the case of municipal schools and private subsidized schools) has long been a subject of analysis and discussion within the wider debate surrounding the relative efficiency and role of public education. Unconditioned differences in the results of standardized tests that point to higher levels of quality in private schools diminish when sociodemographic factors are controlled for but the question as to what control variables should be used and which methodology is the most appropriate as well as the extent of the reduction all continue to be a subject of debate. Here we undertake a meta-analysis of 17 of the main studies that have been done on the subject. The analysis shows how sensitive the results are to the controls and estimation methods that are used. In the aggregate private subsidized schools score approximately four points higher than municipal schools do. This is a statistically significant and educationally relevant differential.
Determinants of ownership concentration in the Chilean stock market
This paper analyses econometrically the determinants of ownership concentration in the Chilean stock market paying particular attention to the effects of the Public Tender Offer Act (Ley de Ofertas Públicas de Adquisición de Acciones). Although the Public Tender Offer Act achieves its central purpose the tender offer mechanism increases the concentration of ownership mainly because of the “residual tender offer” obligation for which the Act provides. In addition the study has found significant opposite responses between the controlling shareholder and the next two largest shareholders which should sound a warning for international comparisons based on a common measure of ownership concentration that do not take account of the ownership structures characterizing Latin American markets. These aspects must be considered if the regulatory goals aimed at by minority shareholder protection bills are to be achieved.
Chile: Subsidies, credit and housing deficit
This article has two objectives: to analyse the effects of the housing subsidy on access to credit and on real-estate investment; and to study the influence of those relations in the Chilean experience. Following a review of the financing and subsidy systems in Chile a theoretical model is put forward to analyse the effect of subsidies on housing credit and on the equilibrium of the real-estate market. The model offers new perspectives on the role played by subsidies policy and the structure on which the empirical research is based. The econometric analysis corroborates the two main theoretical proposals namely: access to the subsidy increases a family’s chances of obtaining credit and reduces the number of families living in a housing-deficit situation. The econometric results also help to interpret the trend of the housing deficit in Chile.
Inequality and academic achievement in Chile
This work uses a set of panel data to contribute new evidence on the impacts of socioeconomic determinants on academic achievement in Chile. Socioeconomic determinants are found to have a statistically significant effect which rises over time on academic achievement. The evidence shows that two individuals of different socioeconomic levels (sel) who achieve the same score in Chile’s Educational Quality Measurement System (simce) in eighth grade are separated by a gap of over 70 points on average four years later when they sit the University Selection Test (psu). It is concluded that in a context of great income inequality and high returns on tertiary education academic achievement indexes throw up barriers to access to tertiary education principally for the population of low socioeconomic level thereby perpetuating poor income distribution.
Chile: Building a computable general equilibrium model with an application to the Bío Bío region
This paper describes the building of a regional computable general equilibrium model applicable to the analysis of development policies and major economic shocks for specific regions of Chile. Then is generated an application for the Bío Bío region which reveals that the effects of the current fisheries crisis (caused by the scarcity of jack mackerel) can be expected to result in the production structure becoming further specialized in the wood and cellulose industries. It also finds that sectors with few production linkages to the fisheries sector are strongly affected through indirect channels that would be hard to identify without a general equilibrium approach.