This article is part of ourEconomy's 'Public ownership in times of coronavirus' series with TNI.
With its rapid economic growth, Chile has often been presented as Latin America’s ‘model country’ of development. However, as the current corona crisis painfully showcases, this economic growth has come at a great cost. Decades of neoliberal doctrine have left millions unable to afford basic services, and wealth is concentrated in the hands of the few. This forces those who already live in precarious conditions to bear the brunt of the crisis. The mantra of privatization underscored by the free market logic has handed transnational companies tremendous profits and left private actors – rather than the people – in control of natural resources. Over the course of the past forty years, the centralization of power in national government has been strengthened. In turn, this has curtailed the available spaces for democratic, citizen-led engagement.
