Education

Work Experience

Project: “The future of welfare regimes in Latin America: Political Economy of Reforms and Inequality”

Welfare regimes in Latin America have experienced significant growth since 2000. This expansion is part of the region’s long-standing desire to achieve long awaited development. Despite academic consensus on many social policies needed to achieve universal, sustainable and resilient welfare regimes, the region’s states have not always been able to promote effective reforms that meet their objectives. At the base of this deficit is the political economy of public policies in Latin America, which refers to the way in which the different actors and interests involved interact in the design of these policies. In this sense, it is crucial to study both social policies and their effects in the region and the political and institutional context in which they are designed and implemented.

Despite the increase in public spending, the countries of the region continue to exhibit some of the highest levels of inequality in the world. To the existing challenges in the fight against poverty and inequality in Latin America, new complexities will be added in the future, derived from the demographic transition, economic realignments and the climate emergency. Chile is a relevant case in the region: due to its success, economic and social policies implemented in this country have been a reference model for Latin America. At the same time, it has been one of the first countries to face the limitations of these reforms.

This research proposal will study the relationship between the public policies of welfare regimes in Latin America and the political economy of their design and implementation through (1) a general review of the public policies in the countries of the region since 2000, (2) a deep evaluation of two relevant social policies in Chile (Pension System Reforms and Free Tuition in Higher Education), and (3) the comparison and generalization of results to other Latin American countries. Of interest are the quantitative direct effects of the policies, their impact on inequality, and the qualitative political process that explains the nature of particular reforms.

Along with secondary data analysis and exploratory analysis for the general review, I will use modern quasi-experimental methods of causal inference based on observational data to study the intended effects of the policies in Chile and other countries. This will benefit from the excellent availability of survey and administrative data in the region. Regarding the study of the political economy of social policies, I will use secondary sources and expert interviews to analyze the relevant actors, their articulation networks, institutional context, interests, and ideas that influence the policy-making process.

Articles (selection)

Arias, Oscar; Canals, Catalina; Mizala, Alejandra; Meneses, Francisco (2023) “Gender gaps in Mathematics and Language: The bias of competitive achievement tests”. PLoS ONE 18(3): e0283384. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283384

Donoso, Sebastián; Arias, Oscar; Reyes, Daniel (2023) “Perfeccionamiento de la gratuidad de la educación superior chilena desde la equidad”. Revista INTEREDU 2 (9), 187-224 https://doi.org/10.32735/S2735-6523202300093368

Donoso, Sebastián; Arias, Oscar; Reyes, Daniel (2022) “Reasignación del presupuesto público y política educacional en Chile: antecedentes, debates y desafíos”. Cuadernos de Economía 41(87), 509-543. https://doi.org/10.15446/cuad.econ

Donoso, Sebastián; Arias, Oscar; Reyes, Daniel (2021) “Tendencias del financiamiento público y dilemas de la política educacional chilena (1999-2018)”. Lecturas de Economía 95, 167 – 197. https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.le.n95a343163

Donoso, Sebastián; Reyes, Daniel; Arias, Oscar; (2021) “El presupuesto público de educación chileno en el siglo XXI y la política de expansión inclusiva del sistema educativo”. FINEDUCA - Revista De Financiamento Da Educação 11, 1 – 20. https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/fineduca/article/view/111876

Donoso, Sebastián; Reyes, Daniel; Arias, Oscar; (2021) “Análisis de la Implementación Financiera de la Reforma del Sistema de Educación Pública Escolar Chileno (2018-2020)”. Revista Latinoamericana De Políticas Y Administración De La Educación, (15), 23-37. https://revistas.untref.edu.ar/index.php/relapae/article/view/1180

Donoso, Sebastián; Arias, Oscar; Reyes, Daniel (2021) “Presupuesto público y macropolítica educacional chilena: Hallazgos y debates”. Cadernos de Pesquisa 51, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1590/198053147557.

Donoso, Sebastián; Reyes, Daniel, Pincheira, Gustavo; Arias, Oscar; (2019) “La Ejecución del Gasto del Nuevo Sistema de Educación Escolar Pública en Chile 2018-2019: Disonancias entre la letra y espíritu de la reforma”. Propuesta Educativa 28(52), 41-56. https://propuestaeducativa.flacso.org.ar/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/PropuestaEducativa52-Dossier-Diaz-y-otros.pdf

Arias, Oscar; Poblete, Isabel (2018) “Evolución de las tasas de accidentes laborales en Chile (2012-2016)”. Economía Chilena 21(3) 42 – 75. https://ideas.repec.org/a/chb/bcchec/v21y2018i3p042-075.html

Donoso, Sebastian.; Arias, Oscar.; Gajardo, Carla; Frites, Claudio. (2013) “Inequidades invisibles en la educación Chilena: Brechas entre estudiantes urbanos y rurales en la Prueba PISA de Lectura (2009)”. Educação & Sociedade, 34(125), pp. 1203-1227. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0101-73302013000400010

Donoso, Sebastián; Arias, Oscar (2013) “Desplazamiento cotidiano de estudiantes entre comunas de Chile: Evidencia y recomendaciones de política para la nueva institucionalidad de la Educación Pública en Chile”. EURE (39)116, 39 – 73. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0250-71612013000100002

Donoso, Sebastián; Arias, Oscar (2012) “Distribución desigual de las oportunidades educativas en el territorio y migración de la matrícula escolar: el caso de la región de Los Lagos (Chile)”. Estudios Pedagógicos 38(2) 35 – 54. http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-07052012000200003

Donoso, Sebastián; Arias, Oscar; Weason, Macarena; Frites, Claudio (2012) “La oferta de educación superior de pregrado en Chile desde la perspectiva territorial: inequidades y asimetrías en el mercado”. Calidad en la Educación 37, 99 – 127. http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-45652012000200004  

Donoso, Sebastián; Arias, Oscar (2011). “Diferencias de escala en los sistemas locales de educación pública en Chile”. Ensaio: aval.pol.públ.Educ. 19 (71), 283 – 306. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-40362011000300004 

Donoso, Sebastián; Donoso, Gonzalo; Arias, Oscar. (2010). “Iniciativas de Retención de Estudiantes en Educación Superior”. Calidad en la Educación 33, 15 – 61. https://doi.org/10.31619/caledu.n33.138