How Preferential Trade Agreements Are Perceived in Chile: From Love to Hate in a Single Step?

Trade policy in Chile has always enjoyed a high degree of consensus among the various social actors. The low level of debate in the media and civil society has always been highlighted, especially with regard to the strategy of signing preferential trade agreements (PTAs), except for some sectoral debates. However, this low level of politicization has been reversed since the social outbursts of 2019, when this questioning was installed. The CPTPP has generated a broad debate among different actors. To determine the extent to which perceptions of PTAs have actually changed, the chapter develops a mixed qualitative methodology based on stakeholder surveys, expert interviews, and media analysis. We try to find out why Chile appears to have turned its back on PTAs, given the potential economic benefits they have brought to the country. The first section reviews the literature on perceptions, particularly in relation to trade agreements. The second section describes the evolution of Chile’s trade policy in order to understand the key moments when turning points in general perceptions have occurred. The third section presents and discusses the results of the surveys, media analysis, and interviews.