The Pinochet Shock Radical Economic Change and Life Under Dictatorship in Chile

This book explores the economic and political transformation of Chile under the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. It highlights how radical change, in this case the arrival of an authoritarian regime, takes place, as well as the impact it has upon citizens and the disruptions it has on everyday life. Through examining how conservative and market-based reforms were introduced to fight socialist ideas and stimulate the private sector, a framework is created for understanding the long-term economic, political, and social impact of the Pinochet dictatorship. Particular attention is given to the consequences of state-led repression, local governments, higher education, the privatization of state-owned businesses, the labor market, censorship, and indigenous policies, among others.

This book provides a multidisciplinary perspective on the reforms seen in Chile under Pinochet and brings together ideas from economics, history, political science, sociology, and regional studies. It will be relevant to students and researchers interested in the political economy and history of Chile and Latin America.

1. Introduction.- 2. The different consequences of state-led repression.- 3. The disruption of higher education.- 4. Law Textbooks, Constitutional Interpretation, and the Neoliberal Transformation of Legal Culture in Chile.- 5. Local governments under dictatorship.- 6. Female political representation during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.- 7. The international dimensions of the Pinochet dictatorship.- 8. Exile and Political Survival in Pinochet’s Chile.- 9. Privatization and market-based policies.- 10. The evolution of business group during the Pinochet regime.- 11. Working people under dictatorship.- 12. Unraveling the Chilean miracle.- 13. Housing policies during the Pinochet dictatorship.- 14. Censorship and cultural control.- 15. Indigenous policies under the Pinochet regime.- 16. Crisis and social unrest.- 17. Epilogue.

Felipe González is Reader in Economics at Queen Mary University of London and Visiting Professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

Mounu Prem is Associate Professor at the Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance and Adjunct Professor of Economics at Universidad del Rosario in Colombia.