Chile

Voluntary Voting in Chile: A Better Democracy?

Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - 13:15

On January 31st, 2012, Chile passed a law changing the vote from compulsory to voluntary, while at the same time expanding the register, allowing every citizen over the age of 18 to vote automatically, without the need to be registered. This contrasted with the previous mechanism, a registration system that was voluntary, but once citizens were inside they were forced to vote in every election, albeit under a weak threat of a pecuniary sanction.

Bachelet's Inauguration: Promise for Change Under Permanent Climate of Status Quo

Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - 13:15

As tradition mandates, every 11th day of the month of March following the election of a new president, Chile celebrates the inauguration of its new Chief Executive. In 2014, Michelle Bachelet becomes the first president to be inaugurated for a second time since the return of democracy in 1989. She  takes the reigns back from Sebastián Piñera, who governed the country for the last four years.

A Growing Economy and Expanding Waistlines: The Nutrition Transition in Chile

Thursday, April 10, 2014 - 13:30

As an emerging economy, Chile has greatly increased its GDP while making significant improvements in their Human Development Index, including reduced infant mortality and reduced malnutrition. Obesity and other dietary risk factors have replaced these traditional health issues and become the number one health concern in Chile. This phenomenon is known as the “nutrition transition,” and is a problem that often accompanies economic growth and trade liberalization due to shifts in the food market.

Chile to Implement Carbon Tax Complimenting the Latin American Trend of Environmental Reform

Monday, October 6, 2014 - 10:30

On September 26th, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet signed into law a new environmental tax on carbon emissions, making Chile the first South American country to enact such legislation. The tax is targeting the country’s power sector, which is dominated by nearly 80 percent by fossil fuels.1 It is aimed at thermal plants with installed capacities of 50 megawatts or more. Plants of this size will be charged USD $5 per ton of CO2 released, exempting smaller plants and those fueled by biomass.1

La Marea Rosada Latinoamericana: entre Democracia y Desarrollismo

Monday, December 1, 2014 - 08:00

La llamada Marea Rosada se refiere al giro dado por varios gobiernos latinoamericanos desde la década de 1990, hacia políticas públicas y sociales opuestas a la orientación neoliberal que caracterizó, en general, al continente en las décadas previas. Estas nuevas políticas también se distancian de los viejos y desgastados ideales del partisanismo revolucionario, intentando una crítica del neoliberalismo que no se reduce a una ruptura radical (e imposible) con su lógica de acumulación, sino que intenta adaptarse a él y dotarlo de un rostro más humano.

Michelle Bachelet Takes a Stand for Women's Rights in Chile

Thursday, December 4, 2014 - 08:00

After three years of the heading the organization, UN Women, which strives for international gender equality and empowerment of women, Michelle Bachelet returned to her seat as president of Chile. This is her second term in office and she is focusing especially hard on equality for women. As the leader of UN Women, Bachelet and other diplomats, worked on the 58th session of the Commission of the Status of Women to stake out five of the most important women’s equality agreements to improve on in international law.

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