Silvia Borzutzky participates in seminar for Paul Simons, new U.S. Ambassador to Chile

Professor Silvia Borzutzky, a faculty member in the Department of Social and Decision Sciences and The H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management, was invited by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research to participate in an advisory seminar for Mr. Paul Simons, the new U.S. Ambassador to Chile.

The seminar took place on December 3rd, and included Christopher McMullen, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for South America, Mark Falcoff from the American Enterprise Institute, Peter DeShazo from The Center for Strategic and International Studies, Arturo Valenzuela from Georgetown University, and other experts on Chile from the International Monetary Fund, The Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, Dartmouth College, the University of Missouri, and the University of North Carolina.

Borzutzky participated in the economic panel. In her presentation she addressed critical socioeconomic issues such as pension and education reform, health policies, and policies to combat economic inequality.

Borzutzky also discussed foreign economic policy, specifically free trade agreements. In her remarks she noted that Chile enjoys a very healthy economic situation characterized by a very sizeable fiscal surplus, free trade agreements with at least 47 countries across the globe, steady rates of economic growth, and large reductions in poverty. However, this positive economic data has not resulted in increased support for President Bachelet. On the contrary, Bachelet’s popularity has declined rapidly since she took office two years ago. Borzutzky explained the connections between the decreasing popularity of President Bachelet, and some of the issues surrounding her socioeconomic policies.

Other panelists addressed Chile’s foreign relations, as well as domestic issues, including relations between the government and the opposition; relations between the government and the business class; and divisions within the government coalition.

Borzutzky was invited because of her extensive work on Chile, which includes two books, and more than 30 articles on Chilean politics, economy and social policies. She believes that "it is very important for the State Department to host this type of seminar because it allows its diplomats to access a wide-variety of opinions on critical issues and policies."