Trade in Services and Development: The Case of Perception in Chile

Abstract

Trade in services and its positive relation with countries’ development has been a consideration in the design of public policies. In particular, since the return of democracy, it has been pointed out by Chilean authorities the intention to improve services exports to add value and diversify its basket. Since the first decade of the 2000 the State has implemented a series of programs and strategies directed to achieve these objectives. However, the matrix remains anchored in natural resources, particularly copper. Although trade in services has increased, it has not done so as expected. In order to understand the reasons why public policies intend to promote the service sector have failed achieving their objective, this work has interviewed experts from the public, private and academic sector, international organizations and NGOs to collect their perception on policies to promote services exports implemented in the period 1990 – 2014. For a better understanding of the results, three overlapping levels are distinguished, in a logical hierarchy from greater to lesser extent: Level I: Considerations on economic doctrines and corporate cultures. Level II: Considerations on the specificity of service industry and economic considerations. Level III: Considerations on specific policies and instruments. Some conclusions and recommendations are presented at the end.