Latin American Perspectives

The Chilean Earthquake of 2010: Challenging the Capabilities of the Neoliberal State Issue #: 215  | Volume #: 44 | Number #: 4 Date: July 2017 Interviewer: Tomas Ocampo Interviewees: Kristen Sehnbruch Short Description: 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. LATIN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES is a theoretical and scholarl