Title: CHILE:
1CHILE
- Economic, Political and Social Performance
- January 2005
2Contents
- Background
- Political System
- Economic Performance
- International Integration
- Equality and Social Cohesion
3 4 5Basic Facts
- Population 15.6 million
- Population growth rate 1.2
- Population density 20.1 inhabitants / km2
- Life expectancy 76.7 years
- Per capita income (nominal) 2005 US 5,741
- Per capita income (at PPP) 2005 US10,981
- Language Spanish
Source National Census 2002 (www.censo2002.cl)
Central Bank of Chile (www.bcentral.cl) IMF
(www.imf.org) Purchasing power parity
6 7Political System
The Chilean State is divided into three clearly
differentiated and independent powers
- The Executive, headed by the countrys highest
authority, the President of the Republic - The Judiciary, within which the highest court is
the Supreme Court - The Legislature, comprising the House of Deputies
and the Senate
8Political SystemExecutive Branch
- Chile has a presidential system of government in
which Executive authority is held by the
President, who acts as Head of State and Head of
Government - The President holds office for six years and
cannot be re-elected for a second consecutive
term - There are 18 ministries
- Chiles current President is Ricardo Lagos, a
member of the Concertación de Partidos por la
Democracia, a center-left coalition
9Political SystemLegislative Branch
- The Legislative Branch is represented by the
National Congress, comprising the House of
Deputies (120 members) and the Senate (49
members), with legislative and supervisory powers
10Political SystemJudicial Branch
- The Judiciary is independent of the other powers
of state. The highest court is the Supreme Court,
with 21 members who, each three years, elect
their President. In addition, there are Appeals
Courts and Civil and Military Courts - A far-reaching reform of Chiles system of
justice was launched in 2000. This reform -the
first structural modification of the system since
the mid-19th century- aims to increase access to
justice and to reduce trial times, as well as
strengthening personal and civil liberties
11Political SystemMain Characteristics
- Democratic institutions that function properly
total respect for civil and human rights - Firmly-rooted political stability, with strong
institutions and a high level of transparency - An independent and efficient Judicial System
- Modernization of the State underway through
reforms that increase the efficiency of the
public administration and ensure transparent
government
12 13GDP by Sector, 2003 ()
- Source Central Bank of Chile (www.bcentral.cl)
In 2003, GDP totaled US71.4 billion,
or US154.7 billion in PPP
14Pillars of Chiles Economic Strategy
- Macroeconomic stability
- Full operation of markets, accompanied by the
regulation required to ensure their efficiency - Openness to trade and international investment
- Wide range of social policies to promote equality
and social cohesion
15Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
- Source Central Bank of Chile
(thousands of 1996 pesos), 1996-2003,
www.bcentral.cl.
16GDP Average Annual Growth Rate (Selected
Countries)
Source International Monetary Fund, 1990 2004
(www.imf.org)
17Fiscal Surplus / Deficit ( of GDP)
Source Central Bank of Chile , 1994 2003
(www.bcentral.cl)
18Evolution of Inflation in Chile ()
- Source Central Bank of Chile , 1994 2004
(www.bcentral.cl),
19Unemployment Rate ()
- Source National Statistics Bureau, INE,
1996-2003 (www.ine.cl). International Monetary
Fund, 2004-2005 (www.imf.org)
20External Debt
Source Global Development Finance 2004. World
Bank
External debt in developing countries / GNI.
Multilateral, bilateral and private. 2002.
21Sovereign Spreads
22Competitiveness Ranking
- Source World Economic Forum,
2004 2005 (www.weforum.org)
23Index of Economic Freedom
- Source Heritage Foundation,
2005. Top 20 positions. (www.heritage.org)
24Transparency
- Source Transparency
International, 2003 (www.transparency.org)
25Business Climate
- Source Economist
Inteligence Unit, 2004-2008 (www.eiu.com)
26- International
- Integration
27InternationalIntegration
- Trade Policy
- Unilateral
- Multilateral
- Bilateral and Regional
- Foreign Investment
28International IntegrationUnilateral Trade Policy
- A flat-rate import tariff of 6
- Procedures for foreign trade that are simple,
transparent and permanently being modernized
Chiles Flat-Rate Import Duty
29International IntegrationMultilateral Trade
Policy
- Chile participates actively in the multilateral
trading system and was a founding member of GATT
and the WTO - Multilateral trade agreements are integrated into
Chilean legislation and have legal status
30International IntegrationBilateral and Regional
Trade Policy
- Agreements in force
- ECAs with Mercosur and the Andean Community
countries - FTAs with Canada, Mexico, Central America, the
European Union, South Korea, the United States
and EFTA - Agreements under negotiation
- FTAA, New Zealand-Singapore (P3), India, and
China - Preliminary study for a possible agreement with
Japan - Other fora APEC, Observer status at the OECD
31International IntegrationBilateral and Regional
Trade Policy
- The international insertion achieved through
bilateral trade negotiations means that companies
based in Chile have preferential access to a
potential market of 1.2 billion consumers (80
times the countrys population), representing a
GDP of US 22,149,200 million, equivalent to 270
times Chiles annual output - In addition, 74 of Chiles foreign trade
(exports imports) is covered by tariff
reduction programs - Chiles extensive network of trade agreements
puts it in a privileged position to serve as a
platform from which to access this large
potential market
32Chiles Foreign Trade 1991-2003 (US million)
- Source Central Bank of Chile, 1991-2003
(www.bcentral.cl) -
-
33Exports of Goods
- Source Central
Bank of Chile, 2003 (www.bcentral.cl)
34Exports of Goods by Market, 2003
- Exports that are ever more diversified
- 6,024 companies (up from 200 in 1975) export
3,854 products (200 in 1975) to 165 countries (50
in 1975)
35Advantages for Investors
- Sustained growth
- Controlled inflation
- Balanced fiscal accounts
- Low level of foreign public debt
- Extremely low country risk, reaching an historic
minimum of 61 basis points over US Treasuries
(Source JP Morgan, January 3, 2005
36Foreign Investment
- More than 3,000 companies from 60 countries have
invested over US 64 billion in Chile. Between
1996 and 2003, annual foreign investment averaged
7.3 of GDP
Nominal US billion
Includes DL600, Chapters XIV and XIX
37Materialized Foreign Investment by Country of
Origin
- Source Foreign Investment Committee, 1974-2003,
(www.doingbusinessinchile.cl) -
-
38 Foreign Investment by Sector
- Source Foreign Investment
Committee, 1974-2003 (www.doingbusinessinchile.cl)
39Chile, A Platform for New Markets
- Chiles Investment Platform Law (Law Nº 19.840)
allows foreign investors to set up companies as a
vehicle for investments in other countries,
without being liable to Chilean taxation on
returns from these investments - By mid-2004, around 40 multinational companies
with a leading position in international markets
had selected Chile as a location for call
centers, technological support centers, back and
front office operations, shared services centers,
software development, and regional headquarters
40- Equality and Social Cohesion
41Social Concerns
- Along with economic growth and modernization,
Chile has also achieved important progress in
building a country of greater fairness,
solidarity, and equality of opportunity - This has been achieved through an extensive and
efficient social protection network - Since 1990, improved access and greater
efficiency in educational and healthcare programs
have been key priorities for the government,
along with programs to combat poverty
42Education
- Public expenditure on education increased from
2.4 of GDP in 1990 to 4.3 in 2002 and this has,
among other advances, allowed Chile to - double the number of young people receiving
secondary education - triple the number of university students
- start introducing a full school day in state
schools as from 1997 (a process that the
government aims to complete in 2006)
43Increased Educational Coverage
44Healthcare
- Chiles healthcare system combines an integrated
public system with a private insurer/provider
system created in 1981, and both the State and
the private sector participate in providing
insurance and healthcare services - Public health expenditure represented 2.9 of GDP
in 2002, up from 1.9 in 1990 - In 2004, a new universal health insurance plan
-known as Plan Auge- was launched in a bid to
ensure that all the countrys citizens have
timely and effective access to medical care,
independently of their financial situation,
gender or age
45Employment
- Free-choice pension and health insurance
- Minimum wage established by law
- Introduction in 2002 of an unemployment insurance
scheme, providing basic coverage for five months - Reduction of the legal working week from 48 to 45
hours as from January 2005
46Chile Solidario
- This program aims to lift the countrys 225,000
poorest families out of extreme poverty by 2005 - It provides integral support to these families by
creating a network of public services and
programs that are tailored to their needs it
seeks to insert them in this national, regional
and local network and to ensure that they access
all the direct financial benefits to which they
are entitled under the program
47ResultsBetter living standards ( of population)
48ResultsReduction of Poverty ( of population)
49Thank you very much