Socioeconomic Transformations Observatory of the MPIfG in Chile
Global processes such as financialization, automatization and robotics, climate change, rising inequalities, and the politics of populism have a significant impact on the functioning of capitalism and democracy. The answers given to these challenges in the next decades will significantly shape the future of the economy and of society as a whole. The Observatory intends to analyze contemporary transformations in three core realms affecting the future economy: the public sphere where expectations about economic processes are formed; policymaking processes where public interventions in the economy are decided; and the state as a key economic actor. Using an array of methodologies ranging from ethnographies of public policy to big data and comparative historical analysis, the project will focus on Europe and Latin America, two regions that represent different capitalist and democratic dynamics. Analyzing these transformations, the underlying political struggles, and the emerging imaginaries of the future will allow us to understand, propose, and construct future scenarios in which societies can rebalance economic dynamism with political representation, social cohesion, and environmental protection. The Observatory is run jointly by the MPIfG in Cologne, the Centro de Economía y Políticas Sociales (CEAS) of Universidad Mayor, the Universidad Central de Chile, Universidad Diego Portales, and Universidad Alberto Hurtado. It has received funding from the Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (Anid, Chile). Project duration: November 2019 to November 2022.
