The Rise of Latin America's Young Progressives
January 25, 2022
Juan Gabriel Valdés
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile
A Fragile Middle Class
“The enormous growth that Latin America had in the 90s and the beginning of this century was the result of Chinese expansion, and it was a result of the good prices of primary goods,” explains Valdés. “But no reforms were really made. There was a fragile middle class that came up as a result of these successes.
“The fact is that these reforms and successes were not possible to sustain. In 2014, inequality was again growing and there was a deceleration of economic growth. And this was simply the result of the fall in the prices of primary goods and in capacities of governments to lead toward reforms that could sustain growth and could sustain redistributive policies.”
“Chile had long been considered the gem of Latin America, with a thriving economy, a robust middle class and busy global trade. In the past years, however, it seems that the bubble burst, and student protests, violence and discontent has been the norm. What happened in Chile?” asks Altamar’s Peter Schechter.
Chile’s Mismatch of Expectations
“There are multiple polls that show that Chile is the country where individuals mistrust each other more than in any other country in the region. And they complain more than others about what we call desigualdad de trato — this way in which people treat those who are felt to be of a lower class, or to be weaker, or to be women, or to be from the regions.
More:
https://www.brinknews.com/the-rise-of-latin-americas-young-progressives/
