Explotación minera, empresas multinacionales y desarrollo económico en Chile: ¿una forma de neocolonialismo?

Abstract

The article examines the role of multinational companies operating in Chile and engaged in mining activities, aiming to determine whether their presence and the economic development model they promote align with the paradigm of neocolonialism. Chile is the world leader in copper exports and a country with a strong capacity to compete in the emerging lithium market. In fact, in Chile, mining contributes nearly 10% of GDP, has created hundreds of thousands of jobs with wages above the national average, continues to attract substantial foreign investments, and, in turn, drives technology transfer and innovation. The legal framework that helped consolidate the presence of multinational corporations was established during the years of the military dictatorship. Nonetheless, the study concludes that the mining exploitation model led by multinationals operates according to parameters characteristic of neocolonialism. This is because economic growth does not proportionally translate into improvements in population welfare, social development, or territorial development. At the same time, the mining exploitation model is essentially extractivist, showing still low levels of industrialization and a significant outflow of financial surpluses that particularly benefit foreign capital. Added to this are other dysfunctions, such as the ecological damage caused by intensive resource exploitation, which leads to degradation of ecosystems. All of this contributes to fueling conflicts with local communities.