I hadn't been here for nineteen years and I barely recognize the place...
Santiago now feels like a huge city rather than a collection of neighborhoods. The old center of town (Plaza de Armas) has become a bit of a dump but the outskirts are booming. Parts of the city are even hip and trendy, a shock to anyone who knows the older Chile. The variety of faces reminds me, oddly, of Oslo. The "Dissidents Cemetery" in Valparaiso is full of Scottish and German names. The seafood remains superb, most of all the clams and mussels and ceviche and shrimp and conch and abalone. And the other stuff too. Some restaurants, rather than giving you a lemon for your fish, offer you a small glass of lemon juice and a squeezer. There are many more immigrants from the northern Andes than before and many more tourists from Brazil.
I was stunned by this, which is even more impressive when you are standing by it. Some of the surrounding apartment blocks have a nice modern Art Deco style. There remain deep pockets of poverty but overall the nation is pulling away from the other Latin American countries. The Chileans basically need more of the same, rather than having to solve some deep structural problem. Usually drivers stay in their lanes. People don’t always dress that well. It was a page 3 story in El Mercurio, with photo, that "Oprah won a million votes for Obama."
It is a common claim that Catholicism is bad for growth but in fact Chile is arguably the most seriously Catholic of the South American countries.
Tomorrow we head off to a remote place which I dare not reveal; I am surprising Yana and Natasha and perhaps you too.
Why Chile is not good a futbol like the rest of its neighbors?
HC
E. Barandiaran:
I don’t doubt Chile could do better but I don’t think there is much doubt they have done quite well in the last 2 decades, compared both to their neighbors and the world. I think that was Tyler’s point.
All thanks to Augusto Pinochet for rescuing the country from the Castroite nightmare Allende was creating.
Gabriel, please read again what Tyler wrote. Clearly he refers to what Chile should do based on his view of the present situation. If you read the Chilean press and follow the domestic debate about the economy you’ll know how bad the situation is compared with the expectations the most Chileans have had for the past 10 years. The response of the Chilean government to the crisis of 1997/8 marked a turning point in the trend of GDP growth, a declining trend has slowed thanks to the large increase in the price of copper. If the price of copper declines to 50% its current value (that is, to the trend level of the past 50 years adjusted by inflation), Chile will face a hard time.
Alvaro’s comments should not be subestimated. In Chile there is a chronic lack of well paying jobs. Most of the property is in hands of a white/mestizo elite, and good paying positions are usually not offered to outsiders. In fact, people usualy hire nephews, nieces and friends sons with a degree from a private University (note: most private Universities are bad) rather than an outsider from a more prestiguous semipublic University like Universidad de Chile.
Interesting facts:
-Chile spends only around 60 US per month on public schools per student, which is the main reason why public education primary and secondary edication is so bad. In realistic terms, around 130 US are needed.
-Chile’s teachers are low paid compared to other professions (1000 US per month), which is also a factor for the crisis in edication
-Chilean schoolgirls use very cute jumpers and miniskirts, coupled with the fact that AOC is fourteen, unless there is abuse of authority (example teachers, called estupro).
I agree with E. Barandiaran. Although Chile is doing quite well when compared with its neighbors (and what a low reference point that is), the country is growing significantly under its potential. Although the world has pretty much forgotten the Asian crisis of 1998, Chile has yet to recover from it. In fact, much of the current growth is due to economic reforms that are over 20 years old and the high price of copper. Chile has not implemented the reforms necessary to enter into a second stage of growth, one fueled not by commodity export, but by products with greater value. This is why Chile has gone from being one of the fastest growing economies in the world to one with mediocre growth. The potential is there. I attribute this to the complacency of the governing coalition, which is tired and increasingly corrupt. Hopefully, there will be a change of government soon and this will change for the better.
Quote from Mauricio, above
The most pressing problems, is the health system, and particularly education. About the latter, very few speak English. The educational system is extremely rigid, discouraging the kind of multidisciplinary education one gets in college in the US. K-12 is extremely uneven, quality depending on parents’ income.
The problem is further exacerbated by the Chilean teachers Union which is very resistant to any kind of improvements in education and a government that relies heavily on those teachers’ votes!
HispanicPundit makes a similar comment about Obama:
The Associated Press reports:
Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Friday told an influential black organization that Democratic rival Barack Obama opposed private school vouchers and was beholden to the teacher’s union, both at the expense of underprivileged students.
So both countries have similar problems.
Cheers
have a good trip jsut have a good sleeping last night
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