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Academic Forum for the New Constitution in Chile

Chile’s constitutional process is being closely watched across the world. Not only does reform offer a path out of the profound legitimacy crisis threatening Chilean democracy, but it offers Chileans an opportunity to build a more inclusive, participatory, and responsive democratic system. As such, the repercussions of Chile’s constitutional process will likely extend past its borders, to the region and beyond. Thanks to strong State institutions and an effective rule of law, any innovations produced by Chile’s Constitutional Convention will likely have an enduring influence in the country’s legal and political foundations.

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Through the constitutional drafting process – and beyond – DRCLAS will provide a platform for open and high-caliber debate on critical issues facing Chileans as they rethink and redesign their constitution. This platform will develop through webinars, colloquia, substantive contributions to the constitutional discussions and, in general, a process of academic companionship to the fundamental institutions, rights and obligations debate. As the Foro strives to make a contribution to reaching consensuses, it will not shy away from hosting representatives from different points of view and political visions.

Aimed at an audience not only domestic but extending beyond Chile to include at least the rest of Latin America and the United States, the Foro will bring together scholars, practitioners, and opinion leaders from across the political spectrum — and across the world – to debate issues such as social rights and the future of Chile’s famed economic model, how to restore legitimacy to a political system that has lost public trust, the promise and limitations of a “green and sustainable” constitution, the potential role of direct and participatory democratic institutions, and how to improve democratic representation, especially of women, indigenous communities, and other historically under-represented minorities.

Upcoming Webinar

Ex congreso Chile

HOW DOES THE PROPOSAL OF CHILE'S NEW CONSTITUTION LOOK?

Wednesday, July 13th, 9:30 am ET (9:30 Chile Time)

This talk will be held in Spanish with simultaneous English translation.

Introduction:

  • Steven Levitsky, Director, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies; Professor of Government, Harvard University 

International Panelists:

  • Roberto Gargarella, Professor of Constitutional Theory and Political Philosophy, Torcuato Di Tella University and Professor Constitutional Law, University of Buenos Aires
  • David Landau, Dean for International Programs, and Mason Ladd Professor of Law and Associate, Florida State University

National Panelists:

  • Miriam Henríquez, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Professor of Political and Constitutional Theory and Constitutional Law, Alberto Hurtado University
  • Alejandra Ovalle, Associate professor, Department of Public Law and Director of the UC Constitutional Forum, Catholic University

Moderated by: Juan Pablo Luna, Professor School of Government and the Institute of Political Science, Catholic University, Researcher Instituto Milenio de los Datos, and DRCLAS Luksic Scholar

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Webinars

GREEN CONSTITUTION AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Wednesday, April 20, 2022, 12:30 pm ET / Chile Time

Forest Reinhardt, Jorge Viñuales, Dominique Hervé, Ricardo Irarrázabal, Verónica Delgado, Cristián Rodríguez-Chiffelle.

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PLURINATIONALITY AND CONSTITUTIONALISM: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES AND LESSONS FOR CHILE

Wednesday, March 30, 2022, 06:00 pm ET (07:00 pm Chile Time)

Steven Levitsky, Sofia Cordero, Deborah J. Yashar, Salvador Millaleo, Daniel Loewe, Sol Serrano.

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PUBLIC DELIBERATION AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN A MORE INCLUSIVE SOCIETY: CAN WE HAVE BOTH?

Thursday, December 9, 2021, 9:00 am ET (11:00 Chile Time)

Steve Levitksy, Archon Fung, Patricio Bernedo, Paula Molina, Chiara Saez, Francisco Urbina.

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Chile's New Constitutional System: Presidencial, Semi-Presidential, or Parlamentary?

Wednesday, November 10, 2021, 9:00 am EDT (10:00 am Chile)

Steve Levitsky, John Carey, Pamela Figueroa, Valeria Palanza, Flavio Quezada, Lucas Sierra, Ignacio Walker, Claudio Fuentes

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Democratic Innovations: The Role of Direct Democracy

Wednesday, October 6, 2021, 9:00 am EDT (10:00 am Chile)

Steve Levitsky, Director, David Altman, Yanina Welp, Patricio Zapata, Claudia Heiss

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The New Constitution and the Chilean Economy: A Break with the Past?

Wednesday, June 16, 2021, 9:30 am ET / Chile Time

Steve Levitsky, Cristián Rodríguez-Chiffelle, Dani Rodrik, Claudia Sanhueza, Rodrigo Valdés, Rodrigo Vergara

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Why should you care about the Convention's regulation?

Tuesday, May 4, 2021, 6:30 pm ET / Chile Time

Javiera Ascencio de la Fuente, Rosalind Dixon, Claudia Heiss, Steven Levitsky, Gabriel Osorio, Sergio Verdugo

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Constitutional Change and Social Demands: Can the Gap be Closed?

Friday, March 19, 2021, 11:00 am ET (12:00 Chile Time)

Daniel Brinks, Rossana Castiglioni, Marisol Peña, Sebastián Soto, Yanira Zúñiga

Vew Event

Constituent Elections in Chile: How to Provide Representation during a Representation Crisis?

Friday, January 29, 2021, 10:30 am ET (12:30 Chile Time)

Isabel Aninat, Verónica Figueroa, Claudio Fuentes, Manuel Antonio Garretón, Jennifer Piscopo, Kenneth Roberts

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Launch: Academic Forum for the New Constitution in Chile

Wednesday, December 2, 2020, 3:00 pm ET

Claudia Heiss, Steven Levitsky, Juan Pablo Luna, Sebastián Soto

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Advisory Committee Members

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Academic Forum-Advisory Committee

Organizers:

  • Steve Levitsky – Director, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS)
  • Marcela Renteria – Chile Regional Office, Executive Director, DRCLAS
  • Jimena Codina – Andes & Southern Cone Program Manager, DRCLAS

Harvard University

  • Cristián Rodríguez Chiffelle – Fmr Head of Trade and Investment Policy, World Economic Forum; Fmr Executive Director, InvestChile. DRCLAS Associate 2020-2021
  • Benjamín Maluenda – Vice President, Harvard Association of Chilean Students, HACHS; MPA 2023, Harvard Kennedy School

Constitutional Laboratory, Universidad Diego Portales

  • Claudio Fuentes – Professor, Universidad Diego Portales; Constitutional Laboratory Coordinator, Universidad Diego Portales; DRCLAS Luksic Visiting Scholar, 2010-11

Institute of Public Affairs, Universidad de Chile:

  • Claudia Heiss – Professor and Head of Political Science Department of the Institute of Public Affairs (Instituto de Asuntos Públicos, INAP), Universidad de Chile
  • Verónica Figueroa – Professor of the Institute of Public Affairs (INAP), Universidad de Chile, DRCLAS Luksic Visiting Scholar, 2019-2020

Universidad Católica:

School of Government

  • Juan Pablo Luna – Professor, School of Government and Institute of Political Science, Universidad Católica, DRCLAS Luksic Visiting Scholar, 2012-13

School of Law

  • Sebastián Soto – Professor, Public Law Department; Director of the Public Law Department, School of Law, Universidad Católica; DRCLAS Luksic Visiting Scholar, 2013-14

Institute of Political Science, School of History, Geography and Political Science

  • Sol Serrano – National History Award 2018; History Professor, Universidad Católica; DRCLAS Luksic Visiting Scholar, 2008-09

Instituto Milenio Fundamentos de los Datos:

  • Juan Pablo Luna – Professor, School of Government and Institute of Political Science Universidad Católica, DRCLAS Luksic Visiting Scholar, 2012-13

News/Noticias

David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) Announces 2022-23 Visiting Scholars and Robert F. Kennedy Visiting Professors

May 20, 2022

The David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies announces its 2022–2023 Visiting Scholars and Fellows and Robert F. Kennedy Visiting Professors, a group of scholars and practitioners who bring multidisciplinary perspectives to the challenges facing Latin America, the Caribbean and Latinx communities in the United States....

Read more about David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) Announces 2022-23 Visiting Scholars and Robert F. Kennedy Visiting Professors
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Publications

In recent months, there has been intense activity of public deliberation and information surrounding Chile's constituent process. Listed below are some of the publications and initiatives of think tanks, universities, civil society organizations, and social movements that are part of this discussion.
Publications  are mainly in Spanish 

 

Advisory Committee

 

Online Resources

Organized by

Chile Regional Office and Andes & Southern Cone Program

Chile Regional Office and Andes & Southern Cone Program

 

With the collaboration of

School of Law, Universidad Católica

School of Government, Universidad Católica

Institute of Political Science, School of History, Geography and Political Science, Universidad Católica

Institute of Public Affairs, Universidad de Chile

Instituto Milenio Fundamentos de los Datos

Constitutional Laboratory, Universidad Diego Portales

Harvard Chilean Student Association

Co-sponsored by

Luksic Scholars Foundation logoThe Luksic Scholars Foundation was established in Chile in 2020 with the purpose of promoting continuous education and connecting professionals, educators and students, mainly from Chile, who have benefited from educational scholarships supported by the Luksic Family over the past 20 years. Through the promotion of education, the Foundation also seeks to contribute to the creation of a committed, international community that will mutually benefit from long-term connections.

Read More About The Foundation

Consistent with these objectives, the Foundation has decided to financially support an academic activity developed by Harvard’s David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) in relation to Chile’s process of drafting a new constitution. The role of the Luksic Scholars Foundation in the context of this academic forum is solely to provide funding for DRCLAS to carry out this initiative.

The Luksic Scholars Foundation has no involvement in the appointment of the forum participants, and therefore, is and remains independent from the deliberations or conclusions produced by it, since none of them, nor the opinions of the participants, are necessarily shared by the Foundation itself nor its representatives.

Online Survey

Please indicate your degree of interest on topics that can contribute to the discussion and analysis of the constituent process period from January 2021-April 2021

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