During the 2nd ECA Education Conference in Dubrovnik –October 3 and 4– a number of participants from 30 European and Central Asian countries asked their Chilean colleagues to produce a page with information and analysis on higher education policies and reforms in Chile that could be accessed by non-Spanish speaking members of the higher education research and policy communities.
This page is our response to their request. It provides information and analysis both on Chile’s socio-economic development and on the evolution of its tertiary system. The information on higher education is organized around the following categories:
— Research papers and official pronouncements
— World Bank projects and reports related to Chilean higher education
— Presentations on current reforms and changes
— International press news and commentaries
— Links to relevant web sites.
This page will be updated on a monthly basis.

Country reviews
Chile: The next stage of development, Agusto Lopez-Claro, World Economic Forum, 2004 [pdf]
Chile: New Economy Study, The World Bank, 2004
Economic Survey of Chile, OECD, 2003 [pdf]
Economic Survey of Chile: Assessment and Recommendations, OECD, 2003 [pdf]
OECD, Chile publications
The World Bank: Documents and Reports on Chile
National Bureau of Economic Research: Chile research papers
Higher Education
Papers
Chilean Higher Education: Tradition, Control and Market,
Jose Joaquin Brunner and Anthony Tillett, 2005 [pdf]
To appear in James Forest & Philip Altbach, International Handbook of Higher Education (2 Volumes); Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Springer
Are there research universities in Chile?, Andres Bernasconi, 2005 [pdf]
Higher Education in Chile: Aiming for Quality, Division of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Chile, March, 2005 [pdf]
Chile, Human Resources for the Knowledge Economy, Thomas Nikolaj Hansen, Lauritz Holm-Nielsen & Patricia García Zúñiga; The World Bank, May 2005
Academic Innovation Fund. Organization and Management, Ricardo Reich, 2005 [pdf]
Academic Innovation Fund. Project Evaluation Management, Ricardo Reich, MECESUP, 2005
Between privatization and state control: Chile’s experience of regulating a widely privatized system through quality assurance, Lauritz Holm-Nielsen, 2005 [pdf]
Chile, a country in transition to the knowledge economy, 2005
Sergio Bitar, Minister of Education
Chile: education and innovation, 2005
Sergio Bitar, Minister of Education
External affiliations and diversity: Chile’s Private Universities in International Perspective, Andrés Bernasconi
WP No. 4, November 2004
Approaches to results-based funding in tertiary education. Identifying Finance Reform Options for Chile, 2004
Kristian Thorn, Lauritz Holm-Nielsen, and Jette Samuel Jeppesen
World Bank, Latin American and Caribbean Region, Department for Human Development
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 3436, October 2004
Chile: Decades of educational reform deliver, Lauritz Holm-Nielsen, Kristian Thorn an Juan Prawda; World Bank En Breve, No. 44, March 2004 [pdf]
Financing Higher Education: An Urgent Problem, 2004 [pdf]
Instituto Libertad y Desarrollo
Private Higher Education with an Academic Focus: Chile’s New Exceptionalism, 2003
Andrés Bernasconi
International Higher Education, Summer 2003
Vouchers, school choice and the access to Higher Education, 2002 [pdf]
Dante Contreras
Quality as politics, 2001 [pdf]
Maria Jose Lemaitre, Secretary General, National Commission for Programme Accreditation
Second-Generation Reforms in Chile, 1999
Andrés Bernasconi
International Higher Education, Spring 1999
From state to market coordination: the Chilean case

Jose Joaquin Brunner
Higher Education Policy, Vol. 10, No. 3/4, 1997
Higher education in Latin America: the present and the challenges , 1996
Jose Joaquin Brunner, Minister and Secretary-General, Government of Chile
Paper presented at the Symposium on the Future of Universities, 5 December 1996, Santiago, Chile (held in conjunction with the 43rd Session of the Council of the United Nations University).
Adventures of a Minister of Education: Chile in 1994, 1995
Ernesto Schiefelbein
International Higher Education, May 1995
Chile: Government and higher education
Jose Joaquin Brunner
In Guy Neave and Frans Van Vught (eds.) Government and Higher Education. Relationships across Three Continents. Published for the IAU Press – Pergamon, 1994
Chile’s higher education: between market and state
Jose Joaquin Brunner
Higher Education, Vol. 25, 1993
World Bank Projects & Reports
MECESUP2 Project: Tertiary Education For the Knowledge Society. Project Implementation Plan – PIP, The World Bank, May 2005.
The Project MECESUP 2. Tertiary Education for the Knowledge Society is part of the efforts to be deployed by the Government of Chile to celebrate the Bicentennial in the year 2010, in support of the transition of Chilean economy to one based on knowledge, increasing equity and the effectiveness of its system of tertiary education. The project’s goals are aimed at the center of Chile’s efforts to provide the necessary competencies to increase global competitiveness, sustain social and economic development and ensure that no talent is lost because of differences in learning opportunities. With this purpose in mind, Chile will have to improve the flexibility and consistency of its higher education, create the necessary incentives to improve quality and efficiency and support the national innovation system by increasing the supply of available advanced human resources. The results should be achieved by means of enhanced performance, transparency and public accountability. The project, that focuses on reinforcing academic staff through Ph.D. programs, student-centered curricular renewal, sustained support for national Ph.D. programs and the experimental introduction of performance agreements with state-owned universities, will be organized as a phase adjustable program for the periods 2005-2008 and 2008-2012, the year of Chile’s Bicentennial. The total cost for the first phase amounts to US$ 91.25 million.
Tertiary Education Finance for Results Project
The World Bank
The program will support Chile’s development into a knowledge-based economy, by strengthening its tertiary education system. To this end, the financing system for tertiary education will be revamped in order to enhance the quality, and relevance of tertiary education; ensure access to tertiary education; and, improve internal efficiency, and accountability for results. The Tertiary Education Finance for Results Project’s development objective is to increase the effectiveness of public funding for tertiary education, so as to enhance coherence, responsiveness, and, equity and quality in the system, through stronger accountability for performance. The project has two main components as follows. The first component will strengthen the institutional framework for tertiary education. It entails: improved sector oversight, and regulation; strong policies and strategies for tertiary education; consolidation of the national system for quality assurance; establishment of a national observatory within tertiary education; and, project management activities. The second component comprises sub-projects to enhance coherence, efficiency, equity and quality. These subprojects will be innovative within tertiary programs, and, shall stimulate institutional effectiveness in critical areas, implemented through performance agreements. Beyond the program, the goal is to support the Government in completing the transition from the current funding system, to a performance-based system applied to an agreed proportion of base funding for universities.
Science for the Knowledge Economy Project
The World Bank
The Science for the Knowledge Economy Project for Chile seeks two development objectives, which, in agreement with the Government’s strategy, are expected to place Chile on the path to a knowledge-based economy: First, and foremost, the project will support the development of an effective innovation system. I t will do so by establishing a strong and coherent policy framework, promoting high-quality and relevant science and technology activities and by supporting key interfaces in the innovation system, especially between the public and private sector as well as international linkages. Second, and subordinate to the first goal, the project will improve the stock of human capital in the Chilean science and technology sector, a development objective which is highly complementary to the establishment of an effective innovation system and per se a critical precondition for establishing a competitive knowledge-based economy. The project development objectives will be pursued through the implementation of three components: (i) improving Chile’s science, technology and innovation system; (ii) strengthening Chile ‘s science base, and (iii) enhancing public-private linkages.
Lifelong Learning and Training Project
The World Bank
The Lifelong Learning and Training Project will assist the Government of Chile in laying the foundation for an articulated, and extended learning, and training system, with the participation of the private sector. Through its four main components, the project will: 1) finance the promotion for an increased private-public supply of basic, and secondary education opportunities for adults, which includes the establishment of a learning assessment, and certification system for adults, as well as that of new modules to encompass adult basic, and secondary education along with training, and distance learning; 2) finance, through a competitive Fund, vertical articulation of technical secondary, with tertiary technical-professional education, through the establishment of technological curricular disciplines. As well, the horizontal articulation of technical secondary, and tertiary education with the labor market, will be constituted through regional networks of educational institutions at the technical, secondary, and tertiary levels. Access to, and quality of education will be improved through pre- and in-service teacher training institutions; 3) establish a national system of competency framework, and professional-vocational pathways on selected sectors of the economy, and, four proactive learning, and training management information systems will be financed; and, 4) finance a national Project Coordination Unit, and in addition, support the strengthening of the national, and regional Training and Employment Service (SENCE), by financing computers, and equipment, training, and technical assistance, while a continuous communication, and dissemination strategy will be maintained.
Higher Education Improvement Project
The World Bank
The Higher Education Improvement Project aims at improving the performance of the Chilean higher education system in: a) coherence and efficiency; b) quality and relevance; and c) equity. The project consists of three components. First, policy framework and capacity building will develop definitions of the appropriate roles of higher education institutions — universities, professional institutes, and technical training centers; establish policies and mechanisms to facilitate transfer of students and graduates between institutions; propose amendments to present and proposed laws; develop policies and new working procedures in the various types of higher education institutions; and build capacity for management at the various educational institutions. Second, quality assurance will consolidate the national system for quality assurance; establish a qualification framework for study programs; and design and implement a quality awareness campaign. Third, financing will establish a coherent policy basis as the foundation for a funding methodology; increase accountability and develop a funding methodology; establish a competitive fund to promote quality and relevance; and assess and revise the student loan and scholarship schemes to increase equity in access and opportunities for further education.
Millennium Science Initiative Project
The World Bank: Implementation Completion Report
The outcome of the Millennium Science Initiative Project for Chile was highly satisfactory with highly likely sustainability, substantial development impact, and highly satisfactory performances by both the Bank and the Borrower. The project constituted a successful demonstration of an improved way of supporting scientific research in a cost effective manner and in ways that strengthened Chile ‘ s National Innovation System. Lessons learned include the following. Even limited investment, distributed based on transparent and objective selection procedures, has a high impact on performance and productivity of an science and technology system. Autonomy in spending resources and diminished bureaucratic burdens improve the effectiveness of investment in advanced scientific research. Chile has the conditions for catching up in terms of human capital formation by rapidly expanding further training opportunities for the most advances students. The quality of training can be improved with incremental investments that allow the best senior researchers to devote themselves full time to their professional responsibilities. Cohesive government performance is a key element to project success as transparency in communications between government players, the continuity in funding and the coherence of science technology and innovation policy are of critical importance. Favorable entry conditions contribute to successful project outcomes.
Presentations
Chilean Higher Education System and Challenges [pdf] 2,82 MB
Pilar Armanet
Director of Higher Education Division
Ministry of Education, 2005
Organizing the receipt and review of innovation fund proposals. Lessons from Chile, Ricardo Reich [pdf]
World Bank Higher Education Innovation Fund Workshop. Maputo, Mozambique, October 11-13, 2005
Managing an Innovation Fund. Lessons from Chile, Ricardo Reich [pdf]
World Bank Higher Education Innovation Fund Workshop. Maputo, Mozambique, October 11-13, 2005
Internationalization: Context and comments, Lauritz Holm-Nielsen, 2005 [pdf]
Financing reforms for tertiary education, Laurirtz Holm-Nielsen, 2005 [ppt]
Chile: Towards a pragmatic innovation agenda
Carl Dahlman and Yevgeny Kutznetsov [ppt]
World Bank Insitute, 2004
News
Chile: Writing the next chapter in a Latin American success story
From The Economist print edition; Mar 31st 2005
Private Universities Bloom in Chile
Burton Bollag
The Chronicle of Higher Education
From the issue dated June 27, 2003
Links
Ministry of Education, Higher Education
Higher Council of Education
National Accreditation Commission
Higher education improvement projects
Job Futures
Millennium Science Initiative (MSI)