The paradox of redistribution in contemporary Chile

Authors

Abstract

Drawing on Korpi and Palme’s (1998) “paradox of redistribution”, this paper offers reflections on the construction of a universal welfare regime in present-day Chile. We argue that the current national situation points to a new type of social policy paradox called non-complementarity, which implies a mismatch between the dimensions that influence poverty and those covered by redistributive preferences. A series of statistical analyses of secondary sources reveals evidence supporting the existence of this mismatch. We conclude with reflections on the issue, setting out implications for the development of universalism in Chilean society.

Keywords:

redistribution, targeting policies, welfare regime, social policies