Abstract, Aftershocks of Pinochet’s Constitution: The Chilean Postearthquake Reconstruction

:::::: Abstract ::::::

Aftershocks of Pinochet’s Constitution: The Chilean Postearthquake Reconstruction
by Ignacio Arana Araya                           


The criticism of the reconstruction that followed the cataclysm in Chile in 2010 has centered on contingent factors including the performance of politicians. An examination of the way structural factors conditioned the governmental response to the 8.8 earthquake shows that the constitution created by the military regime shaped the reconstruction through provisions that limited vertical and horizontal accountability in intrastate and state-society relations. The subsidiary state, executive-legislative power relations, the binomial electoral system, and the appointment rather than election of regional authorities favored a recovery effort that has been underinstitutionalized, privatized, characterized by scant participation of victims, and marred by irregularities. An analysis of governmental reports, media outlets, polls, and semistructured interviews conducted with legislators, social leaders, and scholars sheds light on the relation between the constitution and the recovery.

Abstract, Civil Society Reconstruction: Popular Organizations in Postearthquake Concepción

:::::: Abstract ::::::

Civil Society Reconstruction: Popular Organizations in Postearthquake Concepción
by Jeanne W. Simon and Katia Valenzuela-Fuentes                               


The Chilean province of Concepción was little prepared for the impact of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that took place on February 27, 2010. Because of the destruction of roads and bridges, the power outage, and ineffective communication, each neighborhood was essentially left to fend for itself with virtually no assistance from local and provincial authorities. Within the first 24 hours, panic hit, with stores being looted and local politicians calling for a military presence, and neighbors joined together to protect their property from looting gangs, even in the poorest neighborhoods. Most of these committees were not based on the traditional neighborhood councils that had emerged since the return to electoral democracy in 1990. In the emergency camps established by families that had lost their houses, the new leaders established a more autonomous and horizontal leadership style in their search for decent living conditions and a definitive housing solution. At first glance, these new leaders appear to be a return to the autonomous popular organizations that emerged during the dictatorship but were demobilized under electoral democracy. Ironically, the earthquake and the new center-right government seem to have offered a political opportunity for the reemergence of a more autonomous civil society.

Abstract, Social Policy Responses of the Chilean State to the Earthquake and Tsunami of 2010

:::::: Abstract ::::::

Social Policy Responses of the Chilean State to the Earthquake and Tsunami of 2010
by Walter Imilan and Luis Eduardo González                                   


Decades of neoliberal policy have left Chile with a skeletal state that administers social policy through targeting and outsourcing in public-private partnerships that lack coordination. The reconstruction after the 2010 earthquake and tsunami responded to the emergency largely according to these same principles. While official reports on the reconstruction effort show a state that is complying with its goals, evidence from fieldwork in the city of Constitución illustrates that this method is highly inadequate in the context of a natural disaster. Chile should establish a social policy structure for natural disasters that allows for a rapid response to a social emergency based on universal or near-universal allocation criteria.

Abstract, Attempts at Neoliberal Urban Planning in Postearthquake Chile: Master Plans for Reconstruction

:::::: Abstract ::::::

Attempts at Neoliberal Urban Planning in Postearthquake Chile: Master Plans for Reconstruction
by Walter Imilan and Luis Eduardo González                                   


Urban and regional reconstruction after the February 27, 2010, earthquake and tsunami in Chile was organized by master plans at the local level. These plans, based on public-private partnerships, can be considered an innovation as an instrument of postdisaster reconstruction. They emerged as a commitment to privatization of urban planning in Chile. An analysis of two master plans based on field research carried out between 2011 and 2014 reveals that they had limited impact because of weak public-private ties, lack of comprehensiveness, and lack of legitimacy. They can be read as failed attempts at neoliberal deepening at the level of urban and regional administration.

Introduction, The Impact of the Chilean Earthquake of 2010: Challenging the Capabilities of the Neoliberal State

:::::: Intro ::::::

The Impact of the Chilean Earthquake of 2010: Challenging the Capabilities of the Neoliberal State
by Kirsten Sehnbruch                                        


On February 27, 2010, at 3:34 a.m., an 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit the regions of El Maule and Bío Bío in southern Chile and was followed by a devastating tsunami. The earthquake has been ranked as the sixth-strongest in recorded history and caused instant chaos and devastation that led to the loss of 575 lives. The economic losses are estimated to be in the range of US$30 billion, equivalent to 18 percent of Chile’s gross domestic product. Entire cities and especially coastal towns were significantly damaged. The most severe destruction was registered in the cities of Concepción, Constitución, Talcahuano, and Talca, approximately 400 miles south of Chile’s capital, Santiago. During the hours following the earthquake President Michelle Bachelet declared a state of catastrophe and sent troops to take control of the most affected areas.

The Chilean Earthquake of 2010: Challenging the Capabilities of the Neoliberal State

Edited by: Kirsten Sehnbruch

Issue 215 | Volume 44 | Number 4 | July 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

On February 27th 2010, southern Chile was hit by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake followed by several devastating tsunamis. The disaster cost 575 lives and economic losses equivalent to 18% of Chile’s GDP. Although Chile’s earthquake resistant construction prevented far greater damage and its institutions proved to be relatively well equipped for disaster relief, all the weaknesses of an atrophied neoliberal state became evident during a reconstruction process based on decentralized public-private partnerships formed to implement over 100 local “master plans.” This special issues analyses the responses from politicians, policy makers, corporations, and civil society and situates them in their institutional and constitutional context.

LAP July Issue! The Chilean Earthquake of 2010: Challenging the Capabilities of the Neoliberal State

The Chilean Earthquake of 2010: Challenging the Capabilities of the Neoliberal State

Edited by: Kirsten Sehnbruch

On February 27th 2010, southern Chile was hit by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake followed by several devastating tsunamis. The disaster cost 575 lives and economic losses equivalent to 18% of Chile’s GDP. Although Chile’s earthquake resistant construction prevented far greater damage and its institutions proved to be relatively well equipped for disaster relief, all the weaknesses of an atrophied neoliberal state became evident during a reconstruction process based on decentralized public-private partnerships formed to implement over 100 local “master plans.” This special issues analyses the responses from politicians, policy makers, corporations, and civil society and situates them in their institutional and constitutional context.

To read the complete issue: click here!