Publication

Repackaging in South–North Policy Learning: The Chilean Model of Pension Reform as a Lopsided Exportschlager

In this paper, Kristin Makszin and Achim Kemmerling summarise evidence about how the UK and USA learn from the Chilean pension model, but both countries fail to attribute credit or distort the lessons.

Author: Achim Kemmerling, Kristin Makszin
Date: 03 May 2023
Links: Read the full article here

South–North policy learning faces many obstacles and often leads to missed opportunities or distorted translations. Given the pariah nature of the Chilean dictatorship, international learning happened against all odds. Drawing on several sources – media content, parliamentary debates, and some background interviews – the article illustrates how the Chilean pension reform became 'repackaged' in two ways. First, it was concealed, meaning proponents avoided referencing Chile. Second, it was imperfectly translated, which led to several distortions, such as avoiding a reflection on the political prerequisites for stable pension reforms. Some general lessons are derived for South–North policy learning.