Knowing the shape of demand: Britain's exports of ponchos to the Southern Cone,c. 1810s–70s

British textile exporters have supplied South America since well before the Napoleonic Wars. However, only from the 1810s onwards did British merchants establish houses in the region, quickly mastering the market. As far as the demand for coarse cloaks was concerned, both creoles and natives stuck firmly to ponchos. Because of the intrinsic characteristics of ponchos, local demand led British supply and, in an innovative process of adaptation, British manufacturers exported ponchos on a considerable scale to the markets of southern South America.     

Labour reform in a neo-liberal ‘protected’ democracy: Chile 1990–2001

This paper analyses the direction and degree of labour reform in Chile since the restoration of democracy in 1990 after seventeen years of military dictatorship. The regime of General Augusto Pinochet (1973–90) adopted a highly repressive political character and implemented neo-liberal economic policies, which, together with the institutional restructuring that accompanied them, transformed vast sectors of Chilean society. The 1979 Labour Plan significantly changed the character of industrial relations legislation and the roles and balance of power among social actors, transforming the way in which industrial relations had been conducted since the 1920s. We argue that, despite more than a decade since the restoration of democracy, and after several rounds of reform, the current legislation presents remarkable continuity with the one enacted under authoritarianism, contradicting claims that profound change has been achieved. In attempting to explain the direction and degree of the so-called Transition's Labour Reforms, we emphasize the importance of political-economy approaches. We explore the conservative nature of the Chilean transition to democracy, the continuity of the neo-liberal economic model and the increasing imbalance of power between capital and labour, in an effort to account for the persistence of the authoritarian legacy in today's Chilean industrial relations.     

Economic Reforms,Social Policy,and the Family Economy in Chile

Chile's long tradition of welfare programs included “generous” benefits for many working women. The social security system, however, perpetuated significant forms of gender and class inequality. In the 1970s and 1980s, poverty was greatly increased by sweeping market reforms. The military government responded to the high social costs with a minimal safety net which targeted expectant mothers, small children and the extremely poor, but was inadequate for most of the population. After the return of democracy, income distribution has improved in the 1990s. Yet, much needs to be done to promote family well-being through effective and participatory social policies.     

Consumer clothing disposal behaviour: a comparative study

Fast fashion retailing is leading consumers towards an increased rate of purchasing and the trend to keep clothing for an ever shorter time with the resulting rise in clothing disposal. The aim of this paper is to empirically explore antecedents of two methods of sustainable clothing disposal behaviour in two countries: donating to charities and giving away to family and friends. Using data from females located in Australia and Chile, the authors test the proposed model with structural equation modelling (SEM). The results of this study show that consumer recycling behaviour is a strong and direct driver of donating to charity. In addition, results find that consumer awareness of the environment and consumer age affect donating behaviour. The findings have value for fast fashion retailers, marketers, environmental activists, ecological researchers, charity institutions and public policy makers.     

Effect of ownership,governance, and transparency on liquidity – Chilean evidence

Companies with relatively thin trading, a high concentration of insider ownership, and a privatized pension system characterize Chile’s Santiago Stock Exchange. Within this setting, we study the relationship between ownership concentration, corporate governance, and stock market liquidity. Our results suggest that board independence, corporate disclosure and outside monitoring by institutions help moderate the effects that insiders have on trading costs and liquidity. We also find that market makers with inventory reduce the informational component of trading costs. Finally, the trades of insiders provide price guidance to market makers, while traders employ a follow-the-insider strategy when transparency is low.     

Decentralised production organisation and institutional transformation: large and small firm networks in Chile and Nicaragua

This paper analyses changing production organisation and newgovernance that contribute to productive upgrading in developingeconomies. It discusses research conducted in Chile and Nicaragua,focused on agroindustrial clusters. Recent analyses of smallfirms in developing countries highlight the important presenceof clusters, and local factors in building global competitiveness.This paper argues for an approach that focuses on the institutionalarrangements to coordinate decentralised production networks.It emphasises the role of learning-by-monitoring as the keyto successful adjustment in the face of liberalisation and globalisation.It identifies the institutional reshaping of relations betweenfirms, and between the state and the economy.     

Social protection during recessions: evidence from Chile

This article analyzes the main labor market risk management strategies adopted by the Chilean Government during the 1999 recession that was initially related to the Asian financial crisis. Their successes and failures can suggest innovative social protection solutions for other countries. It seems that the 1999–2001 labor reforms and a three-year plan to increase the minimum wage intensified the recession’s effects on unemployment. Probit models indicate that households coped with the recession’s effects by increasing wives’ labor supply but not by withdrawing children from schools. The expansion of employment programs probably helped households to adopt these coping strategies.     

智利的全球性RTA体系分析

近十几年来,智利构筑了庞大的全球性RTA体系,成员伙伴包括发展程度、经济规模和制度模式截然不同的各类型国家,协议形式包括ECA、PTA、FTA和EAA等四种发展阶段不同的类型。智利的全球性RTA体系为智利带来贸易增长、外资增加、贸易条件改善等贸易利益,值得其他国家借鉴。     

Key market values for bottled wine in an emerging market: product attributes or business strategy?

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on the emerging bottled Chilean red wine market and studies the main determinants of the consumer price of wine sold on the domestic market. A hedonic price function was estimated for a sample of 810 wines using a quantile regression (QR) model. The database contains three variable groups to explain price: objective variables (national, international and vine quality designations), subjective variables (wine score) and business strategies used by wine producers. Results show that some objective variables have a greater impact on price than the wine score (a subjective variable) and business strategies, which vary for each quartile of prices analysed. Finally, this information will allow companies to design and implement marketing strategies to inform the consumer about the importance of some variables in the price of their product.