Twenty years of democratic transitions in Chile and South Africa: A view of the post authority continuity

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the Chilean and South African neoliberal development model during the post-apartheid post-authoritarian period. The neoliberal reforms were generally introduced during periods of crisis; In Chile during a banking crisis and under dictatorship; In South Africa, at the beginning of the post-apartheid transition. The aim is to show that in both cases there is an inconsistency between the discursive level and the institutional application of the development model. On the one hand, there is a link with global social-democratic ideals, but on the other hand, institutions operate under neoliberal guidelines that do not follow these ideals. In the Chilean case and in South Africa this inconsistency is maintained by complacent political elites, who use past sufferings as justification for their actions. To explain this process, we highlight the mechanisms of institutional continuity that can serve as hypotheses to explain neoliberal trajectories.