The role of the think-tank. Freedom and development in the consolidation of neoliberal education in Chile

Abstract

The transformation of the education system under the neoliberal principles of privatisation andmarket counted in Chile firstly on the military power of Pinochet's dictatorship (1973-1990) andthen on the consent of the coalition of centre-left wing parties which governed between 1990 and2010 without shaking the foundations of the model. The analysis of that process has concentratedpredominantly on the state actors, while less attention have been put on non-state actors. Thegoal of this article is presenting the results of an exploratory study of the think-tank 'Liberty andDevelopment [Libertad y Desarrollo], so describing and analysing its origins, components,educational project, and action strategies. It is concluded that the case allows identifying newforms of education policy-making which are related with the blurriness of the private and public.