Panelists
Isabel Aninat, Dean, Faculty of Law, Adolfo Ibañez University, Chile
Simon Ballesteros, PhD Candidate, Department of Government, Georgetown University
Pamela Figueroa, Associate Professor, Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Santiago of Chile, Chile
Peter Siavelis, Professor, Department of Political Science and International Affairs, Wake Forest University
Arturo Valenzuela, Emeritus Professor of Government (Georgetown University), former Professor of Political Science (Duke University), and former US official at the Department of State and White House
Moderator: Diana Kapiszewski, Associate Professor, Department of Government; Director, Center for Latin American Studies, Georgetown University
CLAS Adjunct Professor Michael Shifter opened the event with insightful thoughts about the state of democracy in Latin America and Chile’s place in the region. In the first panel, “Institutions and Democracy in Chile,” panelists discussed how the histories of Chile’s democratic, civil society, formal, and informal institutions form the foundation of Chilean democracy. The second panel, “Chile Today (2019-Present): Actors, Dynamics, and Challenges,” used the historical framework of the first panel to center the audience in the present, explaining the current political, social, and economic environment in Chile. Lastly, each panelist shared their predictions for the future during the third panel, “The Future of Democracy in Chile.” A spirited question and answer period followed. At the conclusion of the event, panel moderator Dr. Diana Kapiszewski offered closing remarks and thanked the panelists for sharing their insights with the CLAS community. The event’s close was followed by a warm and well-attended reception.
