Historia política de Chile, 1810–2010. Vol. 3, Problemas económicos

Abstract

In Latin America, the bicentennial of independence and the influence of the new political history have sparked interest in the process of state formation, political communities, ideas, and the role of the state in society and the economy. In light of this historiographical turn, Historia política de Chile, 1810–2010, a four-volume series coordinated by Iván Jaksić, examines the history of the country through the lens of the state and political processes. Previously published volumes addressed political practices (volume 1) and the state and society (volume 2). The volume under review, edited by Jaksić, Andrés Estefane, and Claudio Robles, focuses on the relationship between the state and the national economy, including issues such as industrialization, taxation, and foreign missions. The volume is not, the editors warn us, a comprehensive economic history of the country but an interdisciplinary discussion of some key elements of Chile's political economy.In their introduction, the editors proposed a common framework and set of theses that tie the essays together: the national state has played a critical role in the economy and the solution of economic problems in areas such as agriculture, mining, and income distribution; foreign capital and powerful economic groups have played an influential role in the country, especially in the mining sector but also in the design of economic policy; and power relations and political conflicts have shaped and transformed economic policies. Building on the editors' main arguments, each of the volume's 11 essays offers a synthesis and long-term historical perspective on an economic sector (for example, mining, agriculture, or industry) or an economic problem (such as taxation or inequality).In the first chapter, Alejandra Irigoin revisits the economic history of independence from Spain. Placing the history of Chile in a global framework and emphasizing both breaks and continuities, she offers a detailed analysis of taxes, fiscal policies, trade, and institutions during the late colonial and early national periods. The next four chapters summarize the traditional sectors of the national economy—mining, agriculture, and industry—as well as foreign trade. William Sater offers a concise view of the development of the mining sector, from the rise of small-scale copper mines in the nineteenth century to the nitrate boom and the large-scale copper industry. Cristóbal Kay and Claudio Robles return to the debate over the modernization of Chilean agriculture, the transition to capitalism, and the process of agrarian reform. Especially noteworthy is the authors' effort to go beyond a traditional economic and political analysis and to incorporate the social, labor, and gender aspects of the countryside's transformation. In chapter 4, Luis Ortega Martínez analyzes the difficult and slow path to industrialization from 1870 to 1970. Focusing on industrial policies and the role of the state, he argues that the state commitment to industrialize was short-lived and only started in the 1950s. Ignacio Briones and Gonzalo Islas, two economists, discuss the evolution of foreign trade and trade policies, emphasizing the historical tension between protectionism and open-market policies.Chapters 6 through 8 focus on specific economic policies. Claudio Agostini and Gonzalo Islas look at taxation and, specifically, the relationship between income tax and economic inequality. In the next chapter, Gonzalo Durán also looks at economic inequality, but from the point of view of wages. Building on both quantitative and qualitative methods, Durán calls attention to the need to analyze wages and salaries in connection to economic growth, unionization rates, and political projects. In chapter 8, renowned Chilean economist Ricardo Ffrench-Davis reviews the history of macroeconomic policies and economic instability since the 1950s. The end of the book brings three distinctive topics. Guillermo Guajardo Soto provides an interesting overview of the history of public companies, demonstrating that they have always been present in the country's history. Manuel Gárate Chateau writes an original essay about foreign missions and their influence on the state and on economic policy design. Gárate Chateau also demonstrates how Chile not only welcomed foreign experts but, after 1980, exported ideas and became a neoliberal model for the rest of the world. José Edwards closes the volume with a brief history of economic thought from nineteenth-century liberalism to the Chicago Boys.The third volume of Historia política de Chile furthers our understanding of the state's changing role in the economy. The editors do an excellent job of connecting the different chapters, offering readers a solid, up-to-date, and well-researched overview of the main debates in the history of political economy. Continuing the proposal of Historia política de Chile's previous volumes, this third volume also questions the old paradigm of Chile's exceptionalism, placing the country into a larger transnational and comparative framework. However, the chapters could have addressed how gender, race, class, and national origin shaped economic policies. The question of gender remains mainly absent in economic history.