Tomas Undurraga - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Tomas Undurraga

History of Political Economy, Aug 16, 2023

This article examines the debates surrounding Chile's economic model after the 2019 socia... more This article examines the debates surrounding Chile's economic model after the 2019 social uprising. It does so by studying how the leading columnists in the Chilean print media discussed the country's economic model between 2019 and 2021. The social uprising shook the political stability, social order, and economic certainty that had characterized the Chilean model for thirty years. Further, the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic triggered a triple crisis—socioeconomic, political, and medical—that raised serious questions as to the market model's ability to guarantee social security. The analysis of the public debate shows how two landmarks of the Chilean model, namely, its legitimacy as a development path and the exclusive right of economists to discuss the economy, were subjected to questioning. The columnists' debate reflects a model in crisis that contrasts drastically with the optimistic narrative of Chile as a “model” country in Latin America. The 2019 social uprising also marked a critical shift in both the ways in which the economy is discussed and who is authorized to legitimately debate economic issues in the public sphere, thus constituting a break from the technocratic consensus regarding market-led policies. If the aftermath of the social uprising triggered the cultural decline of the Chilean model as a dispositive to justify market-oriented policies, the way in which the economy is publicly discussed also changed radically.

Journal History of Political Economy, 2023

This article examines the debates surrounding Chile's economic model after the 2019 social uprisi... more This article examines the debates surrounding Chile's economic model after the 2019 social uprising. It does so by studying how the leading columnists in the Chilean print media discussed the country's economic model between 2019 and 2021. The social uprising shook the political stability, social order, and economic certainty that had characterized the Chilean model for thirty years. Further, the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic triggered a triple crisis—socioeconomic, political, and medical—that raised serious questions as to the market model's ability to guarantee social security. The analysis of the public debate shows how two landmarks of the Chilean model, namely, its legitimacy as a development path and the exclusive right of economists to discuss the economy, were subjected to questioning. The columnists' debate reflects a model in crisis that contrasts drastically with the optimistic narrative of Chile as a “model” country in Latin America. The 2019 social uprising also marked a critical shift in both the ways in which the economy is discussed and who is authorized to legitimately debate economic issues in the public sphere, thus constituting a break from the technocratic consensus regarding market-led policies. If the aftermath of the social uprising triggered the cultural decline of the Chilean model as a dispositive to justify market-oriented policies, the way in which the economy is publicly discussed also changed radically.

Journal of Latin American Studies, 2023

The Chilean economic model has been widely studied both as a pioneering experiment in neoliberal ... more The Chilean economic model has been widely studied both as a pioneering experiment in neoliberal policies and in regard to the growing social mobilisation against inequalities it has provoked. Insufficient attention has been paid, however, to the role of intellectuals in justifying and criticising the model. This article examines cultural battles over the economic model among the country's main columnists between 2010 and 2017, analysing debates as to the model's virtues and vices, achievements and failures. It shows how debate surrounding the model is highly reactive to current political events, yet occurs in somewhat of an elite bubble, centred on conceptual discussions and daily political events that tend to be dissociated from popular concerns.

The Sociological Review, Apr 18, 2017

Based on a multi-site ethnography of two influential newspapers in Brazil, this article examines ... more Based on a multi-site ethnography of two influential newspapers in Brazil, this article examines how Brazilian journalists mediate knowledge claims made by experts, policy makers and the lay public. It asks whether and how these journalists experience themselves as knowledge-makers. More specifically, it argues that Brazilian journalists index their production of knowledge in reference to four main characteristics: depth, authorship, influence, and expertise. Journalists tend to consider newsmaking a contribution to knowledge when: (1) they have the resources to do proper investigative reporting (depth); (2) they are able to help define the public agenda through their reporting and to express their opinion (authorship); (3) they have impact on the polity, the economy or other fields they cover (influence) and (4) their journalistic knowledge is recognized by readers and by specialists (expertise). In practice, however, there are multiple obstacles that make Brazilian journalists hesitant about their contribution to knowledge, including intensified working conditions, the lack of plurality within the mainstream presses, and their informal methods for dealing with knowledge claims from other fields. This research reveals that Brazilian journalists have different understandings of the nature of knowledge in journalism. These understandings cluster around two distinct poles: an expert notion of knowledge associated with disciplinary boundaries, and a distinct conception associated with journalists' capacity to mediate between jurisdictions. When journalists' production is assessed from the former point of view, the informality of their methods is seen as undermining their knowledge credentials. By contrast, when journalists' contribution is assessed from the latter point of view, their 'interactional expertise' comes to the fore.

Journal of Latin American Studies, Jul 3, 2015

Bulletin of Latin American Research, Dec 8, 2014

Journalism Studies, Jun 16, 2017

This article explores the ties between elite economic journalists and mainstream economists in Br... more This article explores the ties between elite economic journalists and mainstream economists in Brazil. It does so by investigating the influence of mainstream economists on journalists’ careers, and therewith, on Brazil’s public discussion. Using mixed methods, we study the main achievements that help to explain economic journalists’ position. We present a multiple correspondence analysis of 53 economic journalists, 30 who are in elite positions and 23 who are from the same cohort but are not in elite positions. Elaborating on 58 interviews, we explore the field’s professional dynamic, examining the sources that produce scoops, how journalists formed their economic perspectives and how economic sources link to the press. We find that there are two elites of economic journalists in Brazil with different career paths. Although careers among elite journalists might diverge, there is a manifest elective affinity between them and financial elites. Key economic journalists reached elite positions by sharing the doxa of mainstream economists. Journalists who worked in the Central Bank, economic ministers or private banks tended to rise in their professional careers. The familiarity with key financial agents of non-elite journalists, by contrast, is more limited. The article concludes by discussing the implications of this elective affinity for the public sphere in Brazil.

Journal of Cultural Economy, Aug 14, 2017

ABSTRACT This article explores the multiple modes of valuation that pervade newsmaking in economi... more ABSTRACT This article explores the multiple modes of valuation that pervade newsmaking in economic journalism. It does so by exploring the different ways in which journalists at Valor Econômico, the leading economic newspaper in Brazil, compete and cooperate in the production of news. Valor is a paradigmatic case for discussing valuation practices in newsmaking since its institutional promise is to produce news of value. How, if at all, do Valor journalists embrace the promise of producing news that generates value? Elaborating on Stark’s (2009. The sense of dissonance. Accounts of worth in economic life. Princeton University Press) idea of dissonance, it is contended that different orders of worth collide and cooperate within Valor newsroom. Moreover, journalists engage in a variety of valuation practices through which these orders of worth are shaped, defined, and refined, reflecting different understandings of economy and society, and different conceptions of what journalism is good for. I argue that Valor’s direction intentionally fosters a plural space of value dissonance in order to improve the quality of news reporting. I emphasise, however, that these dissonances are only productive against a larger background of consonance about what actually there is to disagree about. The article is based on a seven-month ethnography of Valor’s newsroom in São Paulo between 2013 and 2015.

Routledge eBooks, Jun 19, 2023

Cultural Sociology, Nov 1, 2018

This book symposium discusses Daniel Fridman's Freedom from Work: Embracing Financial Self-Help i... more This book symposium discusses Daniel Fridman's Freedom from Work: Embracing Financial Self-Help in the United States and Argentina, which appeared in 2016. Our interest emerges from a workshop on economic sociology that took place in Santiago, Chile, where we, the three present reviewers, realized that we had all been reading Fridman's book. The common influence of José Ossandón and the blog 'estudios de la economía', which links our interest on Fridman's book, should also be mentioned. In what follows, our three perspectives on the book and Daniel Fridman's response to our comments are presented.

Ediciones Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia;, Jul 13, 2021

Journal of Latin American Studies, 2016

Journal of Latin American Studies

Antropologías del Sur

El cambio climático es un problema de interés público a escala global. Por sus dimensiones espaci... more El cambio climático es un problema de interés público a escala global. Por sus dimensiones espaciales y temporales, este fenómeno requiere la construcción de una perspectiva global amplia para ser legible. Sin embargo, ¿cómo se manifiesta su estudio en lo local? Este artículo explora algunas particularidades de las ciencias del clima practicadas en Chile a partir de entrevistas y observaciones con integrantes del Centro de Ciencias del Clima y la Resiliencia. El artículo argumenta que las ciencias del clima en Chile presentan una condición híbrida, entre vida local y pertenencia global. Para ello, explora la tensión entre las condiciones locales de investigación en Chile y el estudio global del cambio climático en torno a dos aspectos centrales: el uso local de dispositivos de visualización y la organización de las comunidades epistémicas que estudian el clima. Mostramos que existen condiciones locales que afectan la forma de producir conocimiento. Esta “cultura de lo inacabado” per...

Cultural Sociology

This article analyses the politicization of natural disasters in the media and the narratives of ... more This article analyses the politicization of natural disasters in the media and the narratives of crisis that contribute to these dynamics. In particular, it studies media coverage of the 2017 mega-fires in Chile and the way in which this coverage was framed by pre-existing political disputes over the performance of Michelle Bachelet’s government (2014–2018). It examines the print press coverage of the mega-fires, and the framing contests used to interpret the fire crisis. It pays special attention to the controversies that erupted over the foreign planes that were sent to help fight the fires: the American Supertanker and the Russian Ilyushin. We argue that press coverage of the mega-fires transformed a natural-social phenomenon into an emotionally charged political drama in which the Supertanker airplane was signified as the hero, and the Chilean government the villain. The Supertanker played a condensation symbol role. It was cast in the media as an external hero promising to cont...

Palgrave Studies in Latin American Heterodox Economics, 2020

Impact of the dictatorship's economic policies on the formation of economic groups and ho... more Impact of the dictatorship's economic policies on the formation of economic groups and how the authoritarian context influenced economic practices and the business culture shaped under the regime in Chile.

Revista de Sociologia e Política, 2015

Apresentação O principal objetivo deste dossiê é explorar as interfaces da Sociologia Econômica c... more Apresentação O principal objetivo deste dossiê é explorar as interfaces da Sociologia Econômica com a Ciência Política, por meio de trabalhos que tratam, genericamente, da relação entre Estado e mercado, e mais especificamente, que discutem os mecanismos e instituições que regulam, promovem ou limitam a interação entre agências públicas e agentes privados. Busca-se promover uma reflexão sobre o papel do Estado, das elites econômicas e de outros agentes sociais relevantes em um contexto de redefinição das estratégias de desenvolvimento.