ECLAC participates in a working meeting with national and subnational authorities of the economy in Chile to promote the decentralization of productive development

On Tuesday, December 13, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) participated in a working meeting led by the Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism of Chile, Nicolás Grau, and in which the Undersecretary of Economy also participated. and Smaller Companies, Javiera Pertersen, the Regional Ministerial Secretariats (SEREMIS) of that portfolio, among other authorities.

The meeting, which was held at the offices of this ministry, had the objective of defining guidelines for the coming year, in terms of economic and productive development, in addition to making a balance of the annual management, both from the national and subnational levels.

Along these lines, the Economic Affairs Officer of ECLAC’s Division of Productive and Business Development, Marco Dini, delivered some reflections on decentralization for productive development in that country. This issue is one of the axes of the projects coordinated by ECLAC, with support and financing from the European Union and SUBDERE, through which we have collaborated to strengthen the capacities of regional governments for the design of territorial productive policies. .

In this regard, Dini affirmed that the current administrative political system in Chile, which last year allowed the popular election of regional governors as new relevant subjects at the subnational level, forces us to rethink the functions of national institutions aimed at promoting public tools and policies. that promote productive development.

In this line, he highlighted that multilevel coordination is an instrument that allows a new focus to be given to the roles played by the different entities in charge of promoting productive development, since various actors and results operate at each level.

Likewise, he assured that the result of productive development is strongly influenced by the characteristics of the territories where it materializes, and that it is generated on the basis of relationships, which include productive value chains, networks and clusters, which transcend administrative borders. of subnational governments.

In this regard, the ECLAC representative called on regional governments to lead the participatory design of regional productive development policies, so that they are adjusted to the needs and potential of the territories, and there is a consensus on priorities, axes, and strategic sectors, with a view to better coordination of representatives of the public, private, academic, and civil society sectors, among others.

In this regard, he specified that one of the roles of the subnational level, to decentralize the dynamics of productive development in the territories, must be linked to the local level, carrying out actions with the municipalities and supporting the offices in charge of this objective.

Regarding the implementation of resources, the presentation presented data on how resources are allocated for productive development, noting a strong concentration in national institutions and a minority participation of regional governments and municipalities.

In this context and with the purpose of consolidating a multi-level institutional framework, the SEREMIS can play an important role, supporting dialogue and coordination between regional and national actors responsible for productive development policies.

Currently, the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism of Chile is carrying out a series of participatory dialogues in the regions of this country, with the aim of knowing the needs and concerns of the territories in terms of productive development, aligning these demands with the construction of policies that contribute to economic, social and environmental sustainability.