Five months are insufficient to judge the success of a government, but they are enough to recognize if there is direction. In politics, having it—or not—is important. There are administrations that move forward responding to contingencies and others that try to organize the agenda based on a defined set of priorities. In light of these first months, all indications suggest that President Kast's government is following the second path.
Beyond the assessment that each person may make of its policies, it is difficult to argue that the Executive lacks a roadmap. On the contrary, a coherent itinerary is beginning to take shape, aiming to address some of the problems that have most conditioned the country's development over the last decade.
The recent approval of the mega economic reform is the most visible axis of this strategy. Its purpose is to recover growth, encourage investment, and create a more favorable environment for employment. In an economy that has shown signs of stagnation for years, the message is clear: without sustained growth, it will be difficult to finance the remaining social aspirations.
But the government's actions do not end there. Before the end of the year, it hopes to implement a broad security reform, precisely in the area that citizens identify as their main daily concern. Simultaneously, it promotes new measures to strengthen employment, prepares a reform to the m…
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Five months are insufficient to judge the success of a government, but they are enough to recognize if there is a direction. In politics, having it — or not — is important. There are administrations that move forward responding to contingencies and others that try to organize the agenda based on a defined set of priorities. In light of these first months, all indications suggest that President Kast's government is following the second path. Beyond the assessment each person may make of its policies, it is difficult to argue that the Executive lacks a roadmap. On the contrary, a coherent itinerary begins to take shape, aiming to address some of the problems that have most conditioned the country's development over the last decade. The recent approval of the mega economic reform is the most visible axis of this strategy. Its purpose is to recover growth, encourage investment, and create a more favorable environment for employment. In an economy that has shown signs of stagnation for years, the message is clear: without sustained growth, it will be difficult to finance the remaining social aspirations. But the government's actions do not end there. Before the end of the year, it expects to implement a broad security reform, precisely in the area that citizens identify as their main daily concern. Simultaneously, it promotes new measures to strengthen employment, prepares a reform of the capital market aimed at energizing investment, and works on a set of initiatives focused on child protection and family strengthening. Considered in isolation, these motions might seem like sectoral policies. However, viewed together, they reveal a common logic: rebuilding the conditions that allow a society to develop with stability. Growth, security, investment, employment, and strengthening the family fabric cease to be independent objectives to become parts of the same government project. Naturally, no reform guarantees better results on its own. Experience teaches that good laws require effective implementation and capable management to execute them consistently. Likewise, citizens do not evaluate only the technical quality of an agenda but the concrete changes it produces in their daily lives. That is why the stage that begins may be even more demanding than the previous one. The challenge is no longer just to approve reforms but to demonstrate that they are capable of changing reality. If the government manages to effectively execute the agenda it has built and clearly communicate the purpose behind it, it will be the citizens themselves who determine whether this roadmap truly represented the inflection point Chile was waiting for. By Álvaro Pezoa, Director of the Center for Business Ethics and Sustainability, ESE Business School, Universidad de los AndesNEWSLETTEROpinionSaturday, AMIdeas in tension, contrasting views, and clear analysis: elements to uncover the issues that divide opinions and will shape the agenda. By subscribing, you accept the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies of La Tercera.