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Chile's Neo-Liberal Revolution: Incremental Decisions and Structural Transformation, 1973–89

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 1999

MARCUS J. KURTZ
Affiliation:
University of Miami

Abstract

This article analyses the surprising emergence of a comprehensive and coherent neo-liberal developmental model during the period of military rule in Chile. Rather than reflecting a clear and definitive choice, the political process that produced this model was characterised by hesitation, policy contradiction, shifting priorities, and incremental choices. This was a result of the military's efforts to deal with two, often conflicting, overarching goals – economic and political stabilisation – as they evolved and were redefined over time. The focus on incremental, iterated decision-making weaves the insights of other explanations based in underlying institutional, coalitional, or ideational factors into a micro-political explanation that is consistent with the substantial variations in policy outcome across different phases of military rule.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1999 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

The author wishes to thank David Collier, Ruth Berins Collier, Carol Medlin, and the many members of the U.C. Berkeley Latin American Politics colloquium for their many insightful comments.