Poverty Line
If you earn more than 90 bucks a month in Chile, you are not poor. That's if you live in the city. If you live in the countryside, and make more than 60 bucks a month, you, too, are not poor.
The number of 'poor' people in Chile dropped from 18.7% to 13.7% over the past three years, the biggest drop in 12 years. Chile's school spirit newsletter didn't care to mention brutal Chilean standard that passes for a Poverty Line: earnings of under Ch$47,500 pesos a month ($US90), or less if you live outside the city.
So if you're one of those rags-to-riches miracles of Chile's free market economy earning $95 a month, congratulations!
Like the conscientious social reformer that she is, president Bachelet took a brief look at the numbers and seized the moment: "This study reveals that we have reduced poverty!"
If you don't live in Chile (but you strongly believe this country exists), it might be hard to wrap your mind around the kind of Orwellian crap that anyone interested in reality gets heaped on his plate for breakfast every day here.
Luckily Chilean economist Marcel Claude does a good job shoving it off [ES], by asking a simple question:
How can economic inequality increase in Chile at the same time that poverty decreases?
The answer: by lowering the poverty line. (Not sure if it's been dropped nominally, or simply has dropped due to inflation and cost of living adjustments).
Claude points out that Chile is still on the World Bank's list of the most economically unequal countries in the world. On par with Nambia, Chile is more unequal than even poorer countries like Zimbabwe, Bolivia, Zambia, Nigeria y Malawi. In Chile, rich people earn more than 40 times what poor people earn.
Then he points out that 98% of Chile doesn't earn over Ch$890,000 pesos a month (US$1,700). Household income for 90% of Santiago families (Santiago is about 40% of Chile's population) doesn't exceed Ch$880,000 (US$1,680). But even that's a longshot for the majority. Only 16% of Santiago households earn over $Ch820,000 (US$1,564).
Claude concludes, especially considering the feeble minimum wage of $250, that the percentage of people who are in bad or very bad shape in Chile far exceeds 13.7% and reaches something more like 80% of Chileans.
The number of 'poor' people in Chile dropped from 18.7% to 13.7% over the past three years, the biggest drop in 12 years. Chile's school spirit newsletter didn't care to mention brutal Chilean standard that passes for a Poverty Line: earnings of under Ch$47,500 pesos a month ($US90), or less if you live outside the city.
So if you're one of those rags-to-riches miracles of Chile's free market economy earning $95 a month, congratulations!
Like the conscientious social reformer that she is, president Bachelet took a brief look at the numbers and seized the moment: "This study reveals that we have reduced poverty!"
If you don't live in Chile (but you strongly believe this country exists), it might be hard to wrap your mind around the kind of Orwellian crap that anyone interested in reality gets heaped on his plate for breakfast every day here.
Luckily Chilean economist Marcel Claude does a good job shoving it off [ES], by asking a simple question:
How can economic inequality increase in Chile at the same time that poverty decreases?
The answer: by lowering the poverty line. (Not sure if it's been dropped nominally, or simply has dropped due to inflation and cost of living adjustments).
Claude points out that Chile is still on the World Bank's list of the most economically unequal countries in the world. On par with Nambia, Chile is more unequal than even poorer countries like Zimbabwe, Bolivia, Zambia, Nigeria y Malawi. In Chile, rich people earn more than 40 times what poor people earn.
Then he points out that 98% of Chile doesn't earn over Ch$890,000 pesos a month (US$1,700). Household income for 90% of Santiago families (Santiago is about 40% of Chile's population) doesn't exceed Ch$880,000 (US$1,680). But even that's a longshot for the majority. Only 16% of Santiago households earn over $Ch820,000 (US$1,564).
Claude concludes, especially considering the feeble minimum wage of $250, that the percentage of people who are in bad or very bad shape in Chile far exceeds 13.7% and reaches something more like 80% of Chileans.
posted by Chileno @ 10:44 PM
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3 Comments:
This is one of the many surrealist news. Whoever takes a politicians comments as more than face value are kidding themselves. All this is just a way for the goverment to pat itself on the back for the good job well done. People like being lied to.
>>>Whoever takes a politicians comments as more than face value are kidding themselves. All this is just a way for the government to pat itself on the back
Yeah but you'd hope that she wouldn't sound so fucking happy while 13% of her population isn't even earning 20 bucks a week.
>>>or the good job well done.
Nothing done well. 80% of Chileans struggling ain't a pretty picture.
>>>People like being lied to.
You sure about that?
Yeah they like lying to themselves into believing they are middle class. You wrote about how people live view these little cookie cutter apartments. They as see it as a sign of acomplishments when it's still the same as the poblacion.
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