Chile's Rapid Growth in the 1990s Good Policies, Good Luck, or Political Change?

Abstract

Chile's average economic growth between 1990 and 1998 was above 7 percent per year, more than double than in previous decades, and higher than in any other Latin American country in the same period. This paper assesses empirically the main hypotheses suggested in the literature about the factors underlying this rapid growth: good economic policies, good luck in the external sector, and the country`s return to a democratic system of government. The statistical and quantitative results indicate that Chile's rapid growth during the 1990s was due to good policies and the improved political situation.

Keywords: Chile, growth, structural reforms, inflation, democracy

JEL Classification: O54